the ministère de la guerre—the recruiting office—would-be warriors—the commandant—a repulse—enlisted—something about the legion—marseilles—the abd-el-kader—oran—sidi-bel-abbes—in camp—snow in africa—another briton—instruction of recruits—an american—the 3rd battalion—barrack-room pranks—route-marching.

most englishmen, whose knowledge of the gay city of paris is in the slightest degree superior to that of the ordinary summer tripper, are acquainted with the fine red stone building on the boulevard st germain, which is known as the ministère de la guerre, therefore it is unnecessary to give a lengthy description of this imposing edifice; above all, as its connection with the present history is of the shortest. it must, however, be explained why i, on the morning of the 26th february 1890, after[pg 2] pushing aside a big swing-door, found myself in the vestibule of this home of the supreme direction of one of the largest standing armies in the world, whose glorious traditions began on the field of ivry, and amongst whose galaxy of leaders figure the personalities of condé, turenne, carnot, hoche, bonaparte, canrobert and macmahon.

i chanced one evening, after i had been living for the past two years in the french capital, whilst in the company of several army officers, to meet an austrian gentleman, of old lineage and great wealth, who entertained us with the recital of his experiences during the tonquin campaign of 1883-85. owing to an affaire de c?ur, he had enlisted in the foreign legion, had risen to the rank of sergeant-major, was twice wounded, and had been decorated with the médaille militaire for bravery in action.

this narrative so excited my imagination and desire for adventure that i fell into slumber that night only after having decided on taking a similar course, in the hope of warring in strange lands and seeing life out of the rut.

i should here say, before going further, that[pg 3] owing to the action so suddenly decided upon, i was often in the future to undergo suffering and privation; yet never once during the five years of my service did i regret the step taken and wish it retraced.

the next morning i put my project into execution, and, as aforesaid, went to the fountain-head for information. perhaps the officials may have had serious doubts as to whether i was in my right mind; and there was some excuse for them, for it is not every day that an individual comes to the ministère, and in a matter-of-fact manner asks to enlist, in just such a way as one might ask for a room at an hotel. whatever their thoughts may have been, they were exceedingly obliging, and informed me that i must go to the rue st dominique, the central recruiting office, and obtain all the necessary information.

somewhat disappointed at the delay, i started off at once for the destination they had indicated to me, which is near to the famous h?tel des invalides, and half an hour later found myself in a room which bore a strong resemblance to the booking-office of a london railway station. there were wooden benches round three sides of[pg 4] it, and five wickets in the wall on the fourth. facing the entrance and in the corner of the room was a door, on which was painted in white letters, "bureau du commandant de recrutement"; and in the other corner, on the same side, was another exit, leading to the room where, as i afterwards learnt, the medical examination of future recruits took place. upon the whitewashed walls were several notices all bearing the same heading, "république fran?aise—liberté, égalité, fraternité," and containing instructions to conscripts as to the time and place at which they must present themselves for enlistment.

it is hardly necessary to state that military service is compulsory in france. there were about thirty men in the room, some sitting alone, or in pairs, on the benches, others standing in groups. they were of all classes of society, if one could judge by their costumes, and the conversations which were going on were little above a whisper. a sort of timid expectancy seemed to reign supreme.

little or no attention was paid to my entrance, so i had time to take things in. espying over one of the wickets the words,[pg 5] "engagements volontaires," i walked up to it, and attracted the attention of a sergeant of the line who was in the office writing in a big ledger. when i had stated my object he stared very hard at me, and, having taken my name, told me to wait until called for.

i went over and sat on one of the benches, from which could be seen all that was going on in the room, and amused myself by examining the different types present, speculating, meanwhile, on the social status of each and the wherefore of their presence.

there were many who were mere lads, the eldest of whom could not have been more than nineteen. from scraps of their conversation which reached me it was evident that they were volunteers who came to offer their services before the time had arrived for their incorporation, which is generally between the ages of twenty and twenty-one years. they were drawn from all classes, and were attired in anything from the silk hat and blue velvet-collared sacque coat of the well-to-do bourgeois to the dark cotton blouse and casquette so popular on the boulevards extérieurs. seated in one corner[pg 6] were two young men who bore the outward stamp of respectability. these, i afterwards learnt, were in quest of the medical certificate which would allow them to enter the military academy of st cyr, which, like our college at sandhurst, is a school for army officers.

my attention was next drawn to a group of six or seven individuals who were standing in a circle round one, whose rotund face and short red hair could be seen above their heads. they were all men of from twenty to thirty years of age. several of them were neat and clean in appearance, and seemed to be of the artisan class, but there were others in a decidedly "down-at-heel" condition. the red-headed man was evidently a wit in his way, if one could judge by the smiles and low laughter which greeted his frequent sallies; and i was regretting that i could not catch the meaning of his words, being too far away for that, when by chance our eyes met; and after making his way out of the group, he came across the room, sat beside me, and opened the conversation with a polite "bonjour, monsieur!"—to which i responded with equal urbanity.

[pg 7]

"excuse me," said my interlocutor, "but you are not a frenchman, are you?"

"no; i am an englishman."

then desirous, no doubt, of excusing his seeming indiscretion, he continued:

"i asked you that question because i am myself a stranger—a swiss—and from your appearance i thought you might be here with a similar intention to my own: that of enlisting in the foreign legion. am i right?"

"yes," i answered, having no reason to conceal the object of my presence there, and, besides, the looks of the man rather pleased me. he was evidently a frank-speaking, good-tempered fellow, and his clean-shaven face and neat exterior indicated a certain respectability. i took him for an actor or a gentleman's valet. knowing that i should be likely to meet and mix with all sorts and conditions of men in the road i had chosen, on taking my decision i had determined to accept things as they were without complaint, so long as the life would bring me new experiences which i could not hope to encounter in the ordinary stay-at-home, humdrum existence.

[pg 8]

"well," he continued, "it appears that we have both chosen the same route. i hope we shall be in the same regiment."

"the same regiment!" i exclaimed in surprise, "i thought there was only one legion."

"formerly it was so," he replied; "but that fellow over there—a german, who is going to enlist for a second time—tells me that about five years ago the old legion was formed into two corps, which go by the name of the 1st and 2nd régiments étrangers."

i looked in the direction he indicated, and saw a tall man of about thirty, whose stalwart form and straight shoulders betokened the soldier. he was reading one of the bills on the walls. this information interested me immensely, and i was just thinking of how i could best approach this individual with the view of obtaining fresh details, when the door of the commandant's office opened suddenly and a non-commissioned officer appeared, and, to my consternation, shouted out my name. instinctively i rose and answered "present," just as if i were answering to a call-over at school, all the other occupants of the room eyeing me curiously as i did so.

[pg 9]

in response to a gesture from the sergeant i stepped across, entered the office, and found myself in the presence of a gentleman in the uniform of a major of the line, who was seated at a big table covered with papers and text-books. he was a red-faced man of about forty, with short-cropped grey hair and a heavy moustache of the same tint. the eyes that looked into mine had a kindly light in them, which belied the somewhat brusque manner of their owner.

i uncovered as i entered the room, and saluted him with the stereotyped "bonjour, monsieur!" to which he nodded a response, and, without further preamble, said:

"so you are desirous of enlisting in one of the régiments étrangers?"

"yes, sir," i replied.

"since when have you come to that decision?"

this unexpected question rather nonplussed me, but regaining my composure i answered with apparent coolness:

"oh! since yesterday."

he smiled, and then said, to my astonishment and anger:

[pg 10]

"eh bien! you are a fool, my friend. ah! that hurts you, doesn't it?" (i had flushed at his observation). "sure proof that stern discipline would not suit you," he continued. then in a softened and more kindly tone he rattled along so quickly that there was no chance of putting in a word:

"sacré bleu! the legion—why, you don't know what it is. well, i will tell you—hard work—hard knocks—hard discipline, and no thanks. and how does it end? your throat cut by some thieving arab if you have luck; if not, wounded, and then his women make sausage meat of you. in tonquin the same sort of thing—only worse, with fever and sunstroke into the bargain. a bad business! yes, a bad business!" then his voice took quite a paternal tone, and he continued: "you look like a gentleman—you are one, i'm sure. mind you, i don't mean to say there are not others over there—there are many—poor fellows! your family, too!—think of them—such a sudden decision. sapristi! and all for some trifling bêtise, sans doute. a petticoat, i'll swear—don't deny it—i have been young also—a faithless sweetheart—pish! there[pg 11] are a thousand others who would be delighted to console you. no! no! a good dinner, the moulin rouge, and to-morrow you will be cured, sacré bleu!" he laughed, and added: "try that; and if to-morrow you still feel the cravings for a military career, well, come and see me."

disappointed and somewhat resentful, for at the time i did not appreciate the kindly intention which underlay the advice he had given me, and imagined that i had been treated with undue contempt and familiarity, i replied:

"to-morrow i shall return, sir!"

he laughed again good-naturedly, and said:

"well, well, we shall see;" at which i bowed and left the room.

the outer office was silent and deserted, for it was the luncheon hour. i was annoyed at this, having counted on obtaining more information from the other men who had come to join. however, recognising the inutility of waiting there, i proceeded to my usual restaurant in a very disappointed state of mind, though in no way turned from my determination.

at an early hour the next morning i returned[pg 12] to the rue st dominique. the major, my friend of the day before, received me with many deprecatory remarks concerning my persistence; but seeing that they were evidently lost on me, he carefully perused my passport, which i had been particular to bring with me, and i was passed on to the doctor for examination. "bon pour le service," ran the verdict given, and i was then signed on for a period of five years.

after much waiting a feuille de route, a railway requisition for marseilles, and the sum of three francs for expenses, were given me. the sergeant-major who handed them to me was kind enough to mention that should i fail to put in an appearance at my destination within the next forty-eight hours, i would be considered a deserter, and treated as such. i left paris that evening from the "gare de lyons," and arrived at marseilles about twenty-four hours afterwards.

at this stage of my story it is right to give a short historical description of the corps in which i had enlisted, and concerning which so many errors have been written, and so many delusions exist.

the foreign legion first came into existence[pg 13] in the early 'thirties of the last century. it was composed chiefly of foreign adventurers who had flocked to algeria at the time of the french invasion of that country. shortly after its formation it acquired a reputation for courage and recklessness which has never been allowed to die, and of which its officers and legionaries are proud to a fault.

since its creation it has served with honour and distinction in nearly every campaign undertaken by france. in algeria, the crimea, mexico, tonquin, formosa and madagascar the legion was to the fore. the legionaries, led by their colonel, macmahon, the future marshal and president of the republic, were the first to scale the breach and enter the city of constantine on the 12th october, 1837, after an hour's bloody hand-to-hand conflict, during which half of their effective were blown sky-high by a mine. they shared the same honours with the zouaves at the malakoff under canrobert, and the defence of tuayen-quang (tonquin), by eight hundred of this corps under commandant dominé, during nearly four months of continual sap and assault, against an army of twelve thousand well-drilled[pg 14] chinese troops, is one of the finest feats of arms in modern times. in france the blood of this fine corps has flowed like water. in the winter of 1870, when it was decided by france's generals that orleans should be evacuated, two battalions of the legion, which had just arrived from africa, were entrusted with the defence of the suburbs of the town; thereby covering the retreat of the main army. during six hours they held back the prussian forces, and were practically annihilated, for they lost seventy-five per cent. of their total strength in killed or wounded, and it was never possible for them to figure again as a corps of any importance in the campaign which followed; but they saved the army of the loire, for the prussians suffered such terrible losses, and were so completely exhausted by their repeated efforts, that all immediate pursuit was out of the question.

the corps also holds a record for having had as officers men who eventually became some of the most famous commanders of modern france; macmahon, canrobert, chanzy, de négrier, servière, and the ill-advised but brave and romantic villebois de mareuil were amongst the[pg 15] number. originally, in addition to the many adventurers, whom military instincts, hopes of plunder, and desire for excitement had led to enlist, there were certainly a good many scallywags, perhaps criminals; but to-day there are few, if any. police methods have changed considerably since the beginning of the last century, and a fugitive from justice would be a fool indeed if he thought he could evade punishment by joining the ranks of a "régiment étranger"; for by so doing he would be thrusting his head into the noose, even had he been able to procure papers affording him a change of identity to enlist with, for nearly every one at one time or another has had their photograph taken, and it is no easy matter to cheat the camera, neither is it possible to evade the searching tests of the anthropometric system.

the legion, or rather the two foreign regiments of to-day, are composed of deserters from other armies—of these the germans are in the majority—men out of work who don't wish to starve, and who can't beg; scallywags, i.e. those men who have gambled or squandered their money and can't work; officers who have[pg 16] been forced to resign owing to some private scandal; and the hundred other culprits and victims of the social conventions of to-day, the description of whose grievances, or the peccadilloes which brought about their presence in the corps, would require a volume in itself. besides all these, strange as it may seem to the calm, well-balanced mind of the properly educated majority of respectable society, there is a comparatively great number of seekers after adventure who enlist, some of whom actually possess an income of their own, and are often too generous with it, for, much to the annoyance of the sergeant for the week who controls the peregrinations of the men punished with pack-drill, wine is cheap and good in algeria. be they what they may when they join, deserter, unemployed, ex-officer, gambler, defrocked priest, member of a reigning family (for i knew of two such during my service), taken collectively they are all legionaries and bons camarades once under the flag, for, with but few exceptions, they possess at least one, and sometimes many good traits of character, and together they form one of the smartest and bravest infantry corps in the world.

[pg 17]

the legion originally possessed its own artillery and engineers, but these were abolished in the 'fifties, and it became exclusively an infantry corps. in 1885 it was formed into two regiments of four battalions each, and in 1895 the effective of each corps was increased by a battalion.

i arrived in marseilles about nine o'clock in the evening, and having addressed myself to a non-commissioned officer who was on the platform, i was conducted by him to the depot, known as the "incurables," and lodged for the night. this was my first experience of a military bed and barracks, and it must be confessed that i was not favourably impressed by their cleanliness, or rather their want of it. here i met again my friend of the recruiting office, and six other volunteers for the foreign regiments, and learnt from him that his name was balden, and that, like myself, he had been placed in the first of these two corps. he had arrived the day before, and told me that we should leave for oran on the morrow by the steamer abd-el-kader.

the next morning, 1st march, 1890, we awoke for the first time to the note of the bugle[pg 18] sounding the réveil; and after a wash and brush up in the lavatory, came back to the barrack-room, where i had slept, to partake of the usual morning meal of the french soldier—a mug of sweetened black coffee and a slice of bread.

the room in which we had passed the night was, together with the furniture it contained, of the regulation type, to be met with in the barracks of most continental armies. it was about 75 feet long, and 20 broad; there was a door in the middle of each of the longest sides, and three windows at either end. it contained twenty-four cots, six on either side of the doors. these beds consist of two iron trestles, with three pine planks laid over them. a straw mattress, a bolster, a brown blanket, and two coarse sheets complete the outfit. along both sides of the room is a shelf upon which each french soldier arranges his neatly-folded kit, which must be placed just above the bed he is occupying. from several hooks fixed underneath the shelf, are suspended the water-bottles, belts, cartridge cases, bayonets, and canvas wallets of the men. these must, of course, be arranged in a similar[pg 19] and regulation manner by each one. in the middle of the room, between the two doors, is the gun-rack in which all the rifles of the occupants are placed. between the rack and the window, at either end of the room, is a plain wooden table with benches; it is at this that the meals are taken. just over every cot is suspended, from a nail in the edge of the shelf, a card bearing the name, number and grade of the man who occupies it. the room lodges two squads, each of which is under the orders of a corporal; the "non-coms" being responsible for the maintenance of order and cleanliness. generally the rooms in french barracks present a very clean and smart appearance. such was not the case with the one we slept in at marseilles; but this can easily be accounted for by the fact that it was used by a succession of passing recruits, who possessed no kit and no knowledge of their duties, and who occupied it for two or three days at a time, or for a night only.

at nine that morning i was detailed off by a sergeant to go with another man and fetch the meal for the room. we brought it back from the cook-house in a sort of big wooden tray[pg 20] with a handle at each end. the repast consisted of a loaf weighing about one pound and a half—the day's ration of bread—and a tin pannikin full to the brim with stewed white beans, a piece of boiled beef and two boiled potatoes, for each recruit. i must say that the food did not appeal to me at the time, but it was good and clean, and exercise and a healthy appetite soon made it palatable.

food in the french army varies somewhat in its composition—that is to say, lentils or rice are sometimes substituted for beans, pork or mutton for beef; but the mode of cooking was the same at each meal, and it was only on such grand occasions as the 14th july or new year's day that roast meat was given. this, however, only applies to the troops in france or algeria, for those in the colonies receive a much greater variety of diet. i have heard also, since leaving the army, that considerable change has taken place in this respect, and that some of the regiments of the line are now quite famous for their menus.

at eleven we were called down to the barrack-yard and lined up. here we were[pg 21] joined by another detachment in civilian clothes; these were recruits for the french regiments in algeria, the "zouaves" and "chasseurs d'afrique." the roll was called, and we were afterwards marched down to the "vieux port" and embarked on the steamer before-mentioned, which proceeded to sea shortly afterwards.

we arrived in oran about six in the evening on the following day, and were immediately conducted to the barracks, where we found a preceding detachment awaiting our arrival to proceed to the interior. of this algerian city i saw little or nothing on this occasion, as my stay consisted of a few hours only, and during the whole time we had to remain in the barracks.

the next morning sixteen of us left by an early train for the town of sidi-bel-abbes, at which is the depot of the 1st régiment étranger, and we arrived at our destination about five o'clock in the evening. i felt some emotion as i marched with my companions through the gates into the barrack-yard, whilst the sentry and the men on duty standing about outside the guard-room eyed us with evident curiosity; and some of the latter made audibly[pg 22] rude remarks concerning our unsoldierlike appearance, and the amount of licking into shape we would require. the quadrangle, which was about 100 yards long by 80 broad, was surrounded on three sides by two-storied buildings. to the right and left these consisted of barrack-rooms and companies' offices on each floor; but on the third side, facing the gate, the building contained the infirmary, canteen, store-rooms, armoury and workshops of the regiment. no sooner had we been halted than we were surrounded, but at a respectful distance, by hundreds of soldiers in all sorts of costumes—fatigue, guard, undress and walking-out order—for the "non-coms" who had conducted us from the station threatened with dire pains and penalties all those who should approach too close. chaffing queries in every european language were thrown at us, of which i came in for a good share, as, owing to my being the tallest present, i was the number one, right-hand man of the detachment. one onlooker politely suggested that i had joined because the feeding of such a big specimen was too great an expense to my family. unaccustomed[pg 23] to so much attention, i was somewhat annoyed by our reception, although outwardly preserving a cool demeanour; and i was greatly relieved when a sergeant-major appeared on the scene and called up several men from the guard-room to disperse the crowd. our names were then called over, and we were conducted to a room in the barracks where we passed the night. on the morrow we were examined by the regimental doctor, and were given a regimental number. this is done for every soldier in the french army, and this number is stamped on every article of clothing and piece of kit he possesses.

the same day we were conducted to the depot camp, which lies just outside the town walls; for it is here that the recruits are kept for about six months until they are sufficiently drilled and disciplined to be drafted into the battalions.

at this time the 1st and 2nd battalions of the regiment were in tonquin, and the 3rd and 4th at bel-abbes, with detachments at mecheria, ain-sefra, and in other smaller garrisons towards the south.

here i was taken to the squad in which i[pg 24] had been placed, and handed over to the corporal who commanded it.

this "non-com" was an alsatian, whose rough and rude exterior concealed a certain good-heartedness. judging by appearances, i thought i had fallen into the hands of a brute, but soon discovered that notwithstanding the invectives and threats with which his mouth was for ever full, he was not a "bad sort," his bark being worse than his bite. his name was hirschler, and he came from strassburg. he possessed a pet grievance against the government because prussians were allowed to enlist in the regiment; and he hated the men of this race most heartily, for which there was some excuse, his father and mother having been killed by a shell during the bombardment of his native city in 1870.

he conducted me to the tent in which i was to lodge, pointed out my place, and went with me to the stores to draw a straw mattress, sleeping-sack, bolster and a blanket. this done, he showed me how to fold them up and to dispose my kit.

this tent, like the others in the camp, was of[pg 25] the ordinary bell-shaped pattern. round it a small trench is dug to prevent the rain from coming in. the floor is of beaten earth, and is about 6 inches higher than the ground outside of it. it usually gives shelter to eight men. during the day the mattresses are doubled up and placed round the interior close to the flies, which are then lifted so as to secure ventilation.

the blankets and sleeping-sacks are folded neatly and placed on the top of the bedding. about 6 feet from the ground is a circular board, and through the centre of this the pole of the tent passes; thus serving as a shelf on which the pannikins, tin cups, spoons, forks and knives of the men are kept. underneath this shelf are hooks on which the rifles, belts and water-bottles are hung. each man's knapsack is placed flat on the ground to the right of his bed, and his kit, which must be well folded, is placed upon it. the inside of the tents is kept very clean and tidy, and presents quite a smart appearance. this particular one contained seven occupants, including the corporal. the camp, which sheltered from five to six hundred men, was situated in a grove of laurel and eucalyptus[pg 26] trees; and during the spring and summer it presented a very picturesque and sylvan appearance. the weather was still very cold, and my first experience of outdoor life was rather a trying one. the winter of 1890 was exceptionally severe, as may be judged by the fact that on the morning of the 9th march i awoke to find the tent i was in covered with snow—an almost unprecedented occurrence in algeria.

during the first few days of my service i, together with the last batch of recruits, was drilled in camp each day. when we had sufficiently mastered the art of forming fours, marching and halting at the word of command, we were allowed to go out with the other companies to morning exercise on the parade ground outside the main gate of the town.

sidi-bel-abbes, like many french towns built in algeria since the conquest of that country, is surrounded by a loopholed wall and ditch, with one or several gates on each side of it. i had been drilled at school, and found this of great help to me, so far as squad and section movements were concerned; but i had never handled a gun, and had rather a hard time learning the[pg 27] rifle and bayonet exercise, for the early mornings were very cold during the first six weeks, and my fingers would get so numbed that each time i touched the steel of my weapon it seemed to burn them to the bone. during the frequent intervals for rest the recruits of each squad would run round their stacked rifles, swinging their arms the while—like the cabmen on the ranks at home—to restore the circulation; and they would keep this up until the bugle sounded the "fall in" again.

however, when the weather became warmer and we "shaped" better, i rather enjoyed these three hours every morning; the first two of which were devoted to squad and section drill under the order of the "non-coms," and the last one to company and battalion movements directed by the officers.

at 9 a.m. we would march through the town back to camp, with the drum and fife band at our head. at 9.30 the first meal was served out. at 10 the companies assembled to hear the daily "report" read; and from 10.30 to 4 p.m. the time was taken up by gymnasium classes, fencing lessons, and the lectures and explanations[pg 28] given by the sergeants on duty, of the different text-books.

the whole day of wednesday in each week was occupied by route-marching, and the afternoon of friday by shooting on the range. the evening meal was at 4.30, and afterwards all men not on duty or the defaulters' book could go out till the retraite, which was at 8.45. roll call was sounded at 9, and "lights out" at 10 p.m.

the life, though somewhat hard for a recruit, is not so bad as one might imagine. discipline is always somewhat irksome at first, but one gets used to it. some of the "non-coms" were objectionable, and seemed to delight in getting the men into trouble; but they were exceptions, and i managed to keep clear of them, thanks to my efforts to do my best, and a certain amount of goodwill. the corps maintained a great reputation for smartness, and a very searching kit inspection took place every saturday afternoon. it was then that the private whose accoutrements were dirty, or whose linen was unwashed, got into serious trouble.

in the barracks there were lavatories, a washhouse, bath-room and an abundant supply of[pg 29] water; in the camp a stream which ran through it served the same purposes. with a little trouble a man could keep himself and his outfit in a state of cleanliness, and it was his own fault if he did not.

much has been said concerning the iron discipline which reigns supreme in the legion, but whilst serving with the corps i never suffered any real inconvenience from it: unless a punishment of "two days to barracks" can be considered of much account. it was well merited, for, through sheer carelessness, or perhaps because i wanted to get out a little sooner, i forgot that i was orderly man for the day, and left all the tin platters in the room after the evening meal was finished, instead of taking them down to the cook-house.

a regiment of men is not like a girls' school, and it is impossible to maintain discipline in a corps composed, as mine was, of so many "hard cases" unless a certain amount of severity is used.

in nearly all instances when prolonged punishments of "cells" and pack-drill were inflicted the offences originated through drunkenness; and the[pg 30] same is the truth for nine out of every ten cases in which court-martials were necessary.

drink is the curse of all armies, and of the french one in particular. wine is cheap, and, what is worse, absinthe is also; and the abuse of this stimulant is responsible for most of the individual cases of military crime in algeria. therefore the authorities are perfectly justified in using the severest methods to restrict and discourage the use of it.

about a fortnight after my arrival i was sitting one evening in my tent engrossed in the cleaning of my rifle, when the flap was lifted, and another private came in who did not belong to my squad. he was tall, fair, wore a heavy moustache, and presented a very erect and soldier-like appearance. he came straight up to me, and said in my own tongue:

"you are the englishman, are you not?"

"yes," i replied, much surprised at being thus addressed by a man i had never seen in my life before. "who are you?"

"my name is knox," he answered; "i joined last week at calais. i am english too—or rather scotch," he added with a laugh. "having heard[pg 31] of you from some fellows in my tent, i have come over to look you up."

really pleased to meet another briton, i proposed an adjournment to the canteen, where we could talk at our ease. he acquiesced, and i proceeded to put the breech-bolt of my rifle together again. as i was doing so he picked up my gun, and after squinting down the barrel to see if it were clean, buckled the leather sling on again, for i had taken it off before starting operations, as one is instructed to do. he manipulated the weapon in such a "know-all-about-it" manner that i could not help observing:

"this is not the first time you've handled a rifle, knox."

"you are right," he replied with a smile; "i was six years in the british army."

he handed me my gun, which, after adjusting the breech-bolt, i hung up on its hook. we then went over to the little wooden canteen, and over a pint of algerian wine we exchanged confidences. he told me that he was from edinburgh, had failed to get into sandhurst, and "listed" as a private in an infantry regiment.[pg 32] he served in india with his corps, rose to the rank of sergeant and was broken after a "drunk"; was again promoted, and was in charge of a military telegraph station in burmah during the last campaign. tired of the service, he had "bought out," and returned to scotland. once home he had gone on a series of "busts," which had so disgusted his people that they had refused to come to his aid when he had run through all he possessed.

almost devoid of resources, and having heard of the legion, he went over to calais and enlisted. he told me that he had the firm intention of turning over a new leaf and of doing his utmost to obtain a commission in his new corps, and i have no doubt, considering his previous experience, that he would have succeeded. unfortunately, his career was cut short in a most untoward manner, much to my grief, an account of which is given in its proper place in this narrative.

knox and i soon became fast friends. his knowledge of the calling was a great aid to me, and he was always glad to help by giving me "tips," which, small though they might seem, were of great assistance and often kept me from[pg 33] getting into trouble. on evenings and sundays we passed all our spare time together, going for walks in the town, or outside of it.

we often visited the arab quarter, which is the great curiosity of all algerian towns. together we would enjoy a dish of kus-kus, a slice of braised mutton, or a plateful of fresh dates, in a moorish tavern; or sit over small cups of thick coffee and listen to a native story-teller, or watch the moukirs dance in an arab café.

on sundays we went further afield, and took long walks through the vineyards, during which we would talk of home and our people, and speculate on what they might be doing.

when the warm weather had set in we would go out a few miles, on the road to ain-sefra and the desert, to a cluster of big olive trees—our favourite spot. we would lie down on the grass in the shade and talk over our chances of seeing active service, either in tonquin or on the frontier of morocco, until, tired of doing so, we would lapse into silence and, stretched flat on our backs, stare up at the patches of light blue sky visible between the green foliage, or at the[pg 34] ascending smoke of our cigarettes as it faded into space. sometimes the soft warmth of the algerian spring, the drone of the bees, and the monotonous chirp of the big grasshoppers would seduce us into a siesta, from which we awoke to watch with lazy eyes, which blinked at the strong sunlight, the veiled women coming from a spring near by, as with easy and graceful carriage they balanced on their heads the big earthenware pitchers full to the brim with water; or a long line of camels, laden with fresh dates and figs, striding along in their ungainly way towards the town, the silence broken only by the dull, shuffling sound made by their hoofs in the dust, or an occasional "arawa!" from their white-clad arab conductors.

during the month of may we made the acquaintance of a private whose name was daly. he was an american, and an artist of no mean talent. he had studied painting in paris, and was for some time, i believe, in the studio of gér?me. daly was a man of about five-and-twenty, under the average height, and of refined and pleasant manners. he had joined, he told me, after a run of very bad luck at monte[pg 35] carlo, where he had lost all the money allowed him by his father to defray his expenses during his period of study in france.

although he had already been more than a year in the regiment when i met him, he had never handled a rifle. since he had joined he had done nothing but paint the portraits and decorate the quarters of the officers. he willingly accompanied knox and myself in our excursions, and shared our small pleasures, and we found him a most entertaining companion. he possessed the smallest feet i have ever seen on a man; and we would often chaff him about this trait, which was the despair of the regimental "corporal shoemaker," who was forced to make special boots for him, for the stores contained no fit for such diminutive extremities. i lost touch with him when i left algeria, and have never heard of him since. i trust, however, that he continued an artist till the end of his military career, and that he is now enjoying the success his talent deserves somewhere in "god's country," as he used to call his native land.

although i have only spoken of my intimates,[pg 36] knox and daly, i was soon on good terms with all the other men in my company whom i came in contact with, and the fact that i could converse in the languages most in use was of great help to me in maintaining good relations with them.

about sixty per cent. of the legionaries belong to latin or french-speaking races; of these the belgians, swiss, and the majority of the alsatians use that language, and the italians and spaniards very soon acquire it; but it was the rapidity with which the german and austrian recruits gained a colloquial knowledge of it that surprised me. i attribute this to the fact that their education was generally of a higher standard than that possessed by the men of other nationalities.

about the middle of july, together with a batch of other recruits whose primary training had been found satisfactory by a board of examining officers, i was drafted into the 1st company of the 3rd battalion, which was lodged in the barracks.

on our arrival in our new quarters we were subjected to the usual series of practical jokes invented for the special benefit of "johnny raw," or "le bleu," as "dumanet" calls the recruit.[pg 37] these pranks are of various descriptions, one of the most favourite being that of arranging a man's cot in such a manner that by pulling on the supports at the foot of it, it collapses, and its occupant slides out with all his bedding and kit on top of him.

mock courts-martial by candle-light are also held on offenders who have broken the unwritten law of the barrack-room. the culprit is always found guilty, but generally escapes with a fine, consisting of a few litres of cheap wine, which is drunk by his room-mates, and of which he is invited to partake.

i never saw any real malice brought to bear in these jokes, and any one possessing a reasonable amount of good-humour can pass the ordeal, and even laugh at one's own occasional discomfiture.

the military education of the men in the battalion is a very serious matter, and is carried much further than at the depot. particular care is given and a considerable amount of time devoted to perfecting the men in shooting and in training them for route-marching.

good shots are encouraged by the distribution[pg 38] of badges placed on the sleeves, silver chains to be worn across the tunic, and watches of the same metal.

when i was drafted into the battalion, the troops were still using the rifle, model 1874—better known as the "fusil gras," the calibre and trajectory of which closely resembled those of the old martini of the british army. this weapon was on the side-bolt principle, and its mechanism was so strong and simple that in the event of it becoming hard to manipulate owing to constant tiring the breech-bolt could be slipped out and cleansed of black powder grit in a few seconds by washing it in a puddle, or by pouring a little water over it. i have seen this done on several occasions in tonquin when there had been hard shooting, for during the first year i was out there we still retained this weapon. when using the rifle, however, one had to be careful not to shoot with a loose shoulder, for its "kick" was tremendous; and i have sometimes seen a black eye or a bleeding nose the reward of those who neglected these precautions. the bayonet of this arm was of the sword pattern, with a blade about 2 feet long.

[pg 39]

the system of training the infantrymen to perform long marches is an excellent one in the french army, and i have read the opinions of english military experts who declared that they are second to none in speed and endurance. each wednesday was devoted to this useful branch of military art.

the recruits start on their first march with their rifle and side arms only, and cover a distance of about 20 kilomètres—that is, about 12? miles.

this distance is gradually increased, as is also the weight carried, until, a man loaded with all his kit, rifle and bayonet, reserve food for two days, a blanket, an entrenching tool and 120 rounds of ammunition, which represent a total weight of about 50 pounds, can perform a march of 45 kilomètres—that is, about 28 miles—in ten hours with ease. this space of time includes a rest of ten minutes in each hour whilst marching, and a halt of an hour for a meal. deducting the time lost during the halts, the average speed is about 3? miles an hour. in many cases during forced marches much better work is done, but the results given above are what the french infantryman who has been nine[pg 40] months with the colours can do with ease; and he maintains this standard during the remainder of his service, thanks to the continual training he undergoes. the men in each battalion of the legion are very proud of the capabilities of their unit in this respect, and when called upon by their officers will make every effort to break records of forced marches made by other corps.

on the return to barracks after the march the non-commissioned officers of each company inspect the men's feet, and instruct their subordinates in the proper manner of treating blisters or chafes. i have myself seen an example when the results of this excellent system of training to resist fatigue has been of most signal service. as this incident is described in detail in a later chapter, i may simply mention that in january, 1892, a small relief column, of which i was a unit, performed a forced march of about 52 kilomètres,—or 32 miles—in eight hours.

this may not seem an extraordinary performance for europe, but it must be borne in mind that it was done in the tropics, and that the road—if a path about a foot wide can be so called—ran through dense jungle and forest, or[pg 41] over slippery rocks, and that part of the distance was covered at night. in england the men are trained to route-marching during the summer and autumn only, which is due, no doubt, to the inclement weather of our winter and spring months; but in france and algeria the troops are thus exercised right through the year. whilst marching outside the towns the troops are allowed to smoke and sing.

all these military ditties, some of which date back in their origin to the early part of the eighteenth century, possess a swinging chorus, which is taken up by the whole column, with a surprisingly encouraging effect on the dust-stained, tired men, who, towards the end of a long day's tramp, are "swallowing the last kilomètre" with weary legs and aching loins.

it is of interest to note that the majority of french soldiers wear no socks when route-marching; this is owing to the fact that they generally chafe the feet of the walker. some of the men wrap their feet in a triangular piece of linen which they call a chaussette russe; but in most cases nothing at all is worn inside the boot. personally, i have found the last system the best[pg 42] conducive to comfort when a long distance has to be covered; but care must be taken that the boots worn fit well at the heel, ankle and instep, so that the foot does not slip about in them. they should be broad across the toes, and about half an inch longer than the foot itself; and, most important of all, should be so well greased that the leather of the uppers is as supple as india-rubber. tallow is as good as anything for this purpose, but in tonquin i found castor-oil—which is cheap and plentiful in the colony—a most excellent substitute.