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010 - Chapter 6 Part 1 La Soeur Agnes Exeat etc · An Englishman in the French Foreign Legion

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Speaker 1: Chapter six of A Soldier of the Legion by George Mannington.
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Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter six,
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Speaker 1: Part one, Las sour Agnes exiet Nanam again picking up
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Speaker 1: the threads Bois preparations for the campaign with General voor
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Speaker 1: Rand's column, an error in the art of war, A
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Speaker 1: big butcher's bill, collapse of the rebellion, stamping out the embers.
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Speaker 1: The town of Guangyen, capital of the province of the
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Speaker 1: same name, is situated about ten miles to the southeast
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Speaker 1: of Haifong and close to the sea. Thanks to its
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Speaker 1: position on a series of small hills, it is swept
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Speaker 1: by the sea breeze and enjoys a well merited reputation
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Speaker 1: for its healthy climate. A fine hospital was erected here
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Speaker 1: by the French in eighteen eighty eight. This has since
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Speaker 1: been enlarged and now affords accommodation for three hundred patients.
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Speaker 1: On my arrival, I was placed in one of the
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Speaker 1: big fever wards, each of which contained twenty four beds,
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Speaker 1: and the comfort and quiet of my new quarters, the
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Speaker 1: skill and care of the doctors and sisters, and the
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Speaker 1: pure air of the region soon produced most beneficial results.
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Speaker 1: The attacks of malaria decreased in frequency and intensity, and
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Speaker 1: my strength augmented. Each day. There was something delightfully fresh
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Speaker 1: and reposeful in the sensation of finding oneself again in
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Speaker 1: a comfortable bed, between spotless sheets, and the vista of
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Speaker 1: the long room with its polished wood floor, the neat
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Speaker 1: coots of black enameled iron and shining brass, the white
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Speaker 1: mosquito curtains, and the sound of the crackling log fire
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Speaker 1: which burned in the open hearth during the early cool
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Speaker 1: of the November mornings reminded one of the cleanliness and
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Speaker 1: ease of Europe of home. It was pleasant, too to
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Speaker 1: watch the sisters as they glided from bed to bed,
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Speaker 1: attending with untiring patience and gentleness to the wants of
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Speaker 1: the sufferers. It was both pathetic and droll to see
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Speaker 1: one of these good women, as with the tender care
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Speaker 1: of a mother, she washed the face and hands of
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Speaker 1: some big and bearded legionary who was too debilitated to
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Speaker 1: do anything for himself, but who kept his eyes open,
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Speaker 1: notwithstanding there smarting so as not to lose a single
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Speaker 1: movement of his ministering angel, continually expressing his thanks the
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Speaker 1: while at the risk of receiving a mouthful of soap
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Speaker 1: and water. Neither could one watch without emotion. A sister
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Speaker 1: who had to deal with the patient who had lost
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Speaker 1: all desire for food, as was often the case with
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Speaker 1: victims to persistent fever, insisting on the sufferer partaking of
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Speaker 1: a cup of beef tea. She would administer it spoonful
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Speaker 1: by spoonful, accompanying each of these with gentle words of encouragement,
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Speaker 1: so that the rough mercenary could not do otherwise than
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Speaker 1: gulped down the helpings, trying meanwhile to look pleasant and grateful.
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Speaker 1: There was a little chapel attached to the hospital, wherein
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Speaker 1: a Spanish missionary from a neighboring village of Roman Catholic
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Speaker 1: converts officiated, and when the men were convalescent and able
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Speaker 1: to get about, they would manifest their gratitude too and
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Speaker 1: respect for their nurses, by attending Mass on Sundays, notwithstanding
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Speaker 1: the fact that many of them were Protestants, and that
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Speaker 1: most of them possessed little or no religion at all.
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Speaker 1: Under ordinary circumstances. The sister who attended to me was
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Speaker 1: a small and cheerful little person who seemed to be
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Speaker 1: about at all hours of the day and night, and
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Speaker 1: her activity and ceaseless surveillance were the terror of the
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Speaker 1: native servants who worked in the ward. She was a
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Speaker 1: merry soul who never missed an occasion for drawing a
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Speaker 1: laugh from her patients. Should I hesitate and grimace before
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Speaker 1: swallowing my dose of quinine, it was at minatinsterred in
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Speaker 1: solution in those days. She would assure me that to Klonezis,
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Speaker 1: its taste was as agreeable as that of fast champaign,
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Speaker 1: and declare that it was only a question of time
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Speaker 1: and habit for me to be able to appreciate its
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Speaker 1: delicate flavor. I owe much to this sister for the
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Speaker 1: care and attention she gave me during my stay at
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Speaker 1: Kwangyin Hospital. These were, of course, equally bestowed on all
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Speaker 1: the sufferers under her charge, and it was my good fortune,
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Speaker 1: five years later to meet her under entirely different circumstances,
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Speaker 1: when I recalled myself to her memory and expressed my gratitude. Today,
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Speaker 1: as I write, there comes back to me a vision
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Speaker 1: of the ward at night, when having fallen asleep, after
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Speaker 1: blinking at the reflection of the firelight on the polished
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Speaker 1: parquet and brass knobs on the bedposts of the neighboring cots.
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Speaker 1: A gentle touch would awaken me from my first slumber,
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Speaker 1: and I could see under the white quen nette the
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Speaker 1: smiling face of my nurse all Religion, Sir Agness, as
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Speaker 1: after lifting the mosquito curtain, she presented to my lips
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Speaker 1: a small glass containing the nightly dose of the bitter drug,
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Speaker 1: while she whispered to Nee Montpetesse, Saint Jean voiss Sie
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Speaker 1: Voltra Grogg. After attending to the wants of each, and
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Speaker 1: seeing that all were comfortable, Sir Agnee would nail down
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Speaker 1: in the ward, and with head bent and clasped hands,
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Speaker 1: repeat in a soft but distinct voice, the prayers for
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Speaker 1: the night. Every soldier who was able to sit up
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Speaker 1: in bed would do so, and nearly all those who
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Speaker 1: could murmured with her the Lord's prayer, each in his
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Speaker 1: own language. Probably most of them did so simply to
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Speaker 1: please the patient religiers, who soothed their sufferings and attended
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Speaker 1: to their needs. But be that as it may, there
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Speaker 1: existed no regulation which obliged them to do so. Therefore
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Speaker 1: their action was spontaneous and impressive. When the sister had
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Speaker 1: left the room after bidding a general good night to
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Speaker 1: its occupants. It was very seldom that any conversation would
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Speaker 1: take place. It seemed as if the majority of the
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Speaker 1: men were anxious to court sleep while still under the
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Speaker 1: impression left them by the saintly self sacrificing woman to
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Speaker 1: whom they had just listened, desiring perhaps that it should
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Speaker 1: bring to them dreams of those they loved, but of
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Speaker 1: whom they never spoke. Now and again a new patient,
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Speaker 1: proud of his cynicism, would scoff at his comrades, curse
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Speaker 1: them for knock kneed galatans, or go so far as
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Speaker 1: to laugh aloud or even whistle a ribeled regimental ditty
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Speaker 1: during the evening prayer. They never did this twice, however,
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Speaker 1: for a straight spoken, though perhaps somewhat lurid warning from
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Speaker 1: their roommates always sufficed to quell any desire for persistence
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Speaker 1: in the life in this breach of the etiquette of
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Speaker 1: the ward. Had it been otherwise, it is certain that
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Speaker 1: their suppression would have been both rapid and awesome. On
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Speaker 1: the twelfth December, I was called before the Reprocreation Committee
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Speaker 1: Consuet de Repratemeut, the members of which three doctors, seeing
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Speaker 1: the progress I had made, decided to keep me in
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Speaker 1: the hospital for another fortnight, at the end of which period,
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Speaker 1: if no relapse had occurred, I could return to my core.
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Speaker 1: It is hardly necessary to state that this decision was
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Speaker 1: very agreeable to me, for I had feared that these
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Speaker 1: officers would order my return to Algeria, and once assured
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Speaker 1: of the realization of my desires, I improved rapidly in
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Speaker 1: health and strength. Sometimes, when I suspected a slight attack
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Speaker 1: of fever, I faked my temperature lest the doctor who
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Speaker 1: examined my chart each day should take another view of
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Speaker 1: my case and send me up again before the committee.
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Speaker 1: I trust, however, that this confession of my fault will
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Speaker 1: bring with it forgiveness for the trick played upon my
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Speaker 1: kind and trusting nurse. During my stay at Guangyen, I
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Speaker 1: saw that the majority of the patients were men from
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Speaker 1: the Infanterie de Marines. These regiments passed into the domain
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Speaker 1: of the Minister of War in nineteen o one and
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Speaker 1: are now known as Lampanterie Colonial. I was very surprised
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Speaker 1: at their youthfulness and evident want of stamina. This corps
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Speaker 1: was originally formed like our Royal Marines for service afloat.
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Speaker 1: Since eighteen sixty their place on board the men of
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Speaker 1: War has been taken by sailors fusiliers Marine, who undergo
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Speaker 1: a special course of training in musketry and infantry drill,
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Speaker 1: and the Infanterie de Marine was formed into twelve regiments,
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Speaker 1: which now garrison the naval ports on the French coast,
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Speaker 1: the principal towns in the colony, and take part in
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Speaker 1: all expeditions overseas. Before the reorganization of the army carried
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Speaker 1: out after the Franco German War, the men of this
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Speaker 1: fine corps had won a grand reputation for courage and endurance,
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Speaker 1: and the defense of the village of Baziz by a
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Speaker 1: brigade of French Marines against a division of Bavarian troops
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Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy will ever remain one of the finest
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Speaker 1: pages in the history of the struggle. General conscription and
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Speaker 1: the short service system have done much to reduce the
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Speaker 1: fighting value of these regiments, which were formerly composed of
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Speaker 1: men who had been submitted to a most searching medical
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Speaker 1: examination and consequently stood a good chance of resisting the
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Speaker 1: insalubrious climate of the colonies, and who volunteered for a
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Speaker 1: long period with the flag. Today, the majority of these
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Speaker 1: troops are town bred, beardless boys of from eighteen to
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Speaker 1: twenty years years of age, who are in these regiments
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Speaker 1: because they have been unfortunate enough to draw a low
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Speaker 1: number from the conscription. Urn. Like all France's sons, they
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Speaker 1: are brave and enthusiastic, but owing to their youth, inexperience
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Speaker 1: and hurried and incomplete military training, they have sometimes proved
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Speaker 1: victims to sudden panic, and their but half formed constitutions
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Speaker 1: and still growing physique make them prompt sufferers to malady, fatigue,
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Speaker 1: and discouragement during the hardships of a tropical campaign. Several
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Speaker 1: French authorities on military matters have expressed the opinion that
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Speaker 1: the government would do well to employ more seasoned material
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Speaker 1: for their colonial garrisons and expeditions, and reserve these brave
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Speaker 1: youths for the future battlefields of Europe, whereupon may be
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Speaker 1: decided the destiny of their fatherland. Those of us who
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Speaker 1: were able to get about attended the midnight on Christmas Eve,
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Speaker 1: and the little chapel, with its interior prettily decorated by
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Speaker 1: the willing efforts of the convalescent soldiers, was full to overflowing,
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Speaker 1: and though probably the thoughts of the majority present wandered
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Speaker 1: away to the homeland, we joined vigorously in the joyful
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Speaker 1: anthem noel noel voi si la redebteur, to the visible
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Speaker 1: satisfaction of the beaming buxom Sir Superiere and the smiling sisters.
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Speaker 1: On the thirtieth I found myself exiet i e discharged
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Speaker 1: from the hospital as cured, on the deck of a
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Speaker 1: little river steamer which was churning her way through the
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Speaker 1: red muddy waters of the jew Kom, passed miles of
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Speaker 1: mangrel swamps towards high Fong. The weather was bright, dry
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Speaker 1: and cold, a typical winter's day of this part of
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Speaker 1: the world, and the pure crisp air reminded me of home.
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Speaker 1: Seemed delightfully invigorating after the stifle damp heat of the
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Speaker 1: past summer months. At Haifong, I boarded another boat which
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Speaker 1: landed me in fu Lang Duang the next morning. Here
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Speaker 1: I found signs of the coming campaign, for several little
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Speaker 1: river steamers were discharging their cargoes of stores, ammunition and material,
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Speaker 1: and hundreds of coolies were employed in transporting the goods
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Speaker 1: to the big government go downs in the little town
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Speaker 1: where they were stored for the time being. From here
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Speaker 1: large quantities of flour, ten to beef and other stores
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Speaker 1: were forwarded to Nanam and Boja, these forts in turn
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Speaker 1: serving as bases from which the different columns were revictualled.
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Speaker 1: On my arrival, I reported at the office of the
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Speaker 1: Garrison Major, expecting to receive orders to leave by the
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Speaker 1: first opportunity for Nanam via Kao Twang, that is, by
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Speaker 1: the same route which our detachment just landed from the
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Speaker 1: Benoit had taken eight months previously. But information was given
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Speaker 1: me by one of the military secretaries to the effect
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Speaker 1: that I would have to wait a few days pending
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Speaker 1: the formation of a convoy which was to proceed in
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Speaker 1: Sampans up the Songtoang River to Boja, and that I
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Speaker 1: would form one of the escort, to be composed of
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Speaker 1: several legionaries and a few dirieers. As Boha is only
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Speaker 1: about seven miles from Nanam, entailing a march of hardly
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Speaker 1: two hours and a journey in a native boat would
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Speaker 1: be a new and desirable experience to me. I did
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Speaker 1: not regret the delay this unexpected development was likely to create.
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Speaker 1: I had not long to wait, however, for three days later,
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Speaker 1: our little fleet of twenty five sampans, four of them
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Speaker 1: occupied by the escort, glided away at three in the
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Speaker 1: afternoon on its voyage up the river. These sampans are
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Speaker 1: about twenty feet long and in form somewhat resemble a houseboat,
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Speaker 1: though they are smaller and possess finer lines than the
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Speaker 1: floating villas one meets with on the reaches of our
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Speaker 1: English rivers during the summer months. The little house or cabin,
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Speaker 1: which is placed amidships in each of these boats is
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Speaker 1: usually about six feet by five and is so low
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Speaker 1: that one can only sit or lie down inside it.
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Speaker 1: Forward of this cabin is a deck from which two
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Speaker 1: natives work the long sweeps of hard wood. These boatmen
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Speaker 1: row in a standing position, with their faces towards the
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Speaker 1: bow of the boat. After the cabin is a strip
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Speaker 1: of deck about three feet long, and from that the
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Speaker 1: stern rises up in much the same way as one
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Speaker 1: sees them pictured in the Old Prince of Ships in
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Speaker 1: the time of the Armada. Upon this deck stands another
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Speaker 1: boatman who handles a long oar which trails behind, and
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Speaker 1: with this he both rows and steers. These boats draw
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Speaker 1: very little water two feet at the utmost, and that
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Speaker 1: only when they are fully laden. The evening was a
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Speaker 1: beautiful one, so that I made the most of the
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Speaker 1: journey and lay for several hours my loaded rifle beside me,
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Speaker 1: enjoying the varied spectacle which was quite new to me.
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Speaker 1: In the boat. Besides myself and the three boatmen were
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Speaker 1: three tire as, but these gave me no trouble, for
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Speaker 1: having consumed a big saucepanful of rice, they fell asleep
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Speaker 1: on the deck, the cabin being nearly filled with ten cases,
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Speaker 1: each containing thirty kilos of flour. The sleepers lay close
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Speaker 1: together to obtain more warmth, for the nights were chilly
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Speaker 1: in this season. The river at this point was from
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Speaker 1: eighty to one hundred yards wide. Its water was very
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Speaker 1: clear and ran over a sandy bottom, studded here and
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Speaker 1: there with large rocks, and between steep banks from twenty
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Speaker 1: to twenty five feet high. Along either side rangroves of
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Speaker 1: tall bamboos, which seemed to salute us with a graceful
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Speaker 1: nod as we glided by. Sometimes there was a break
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Speaker 1: and an old pagoda with a quaintly curved roof of
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Speaker 1: red brown tiles, came into view. Now the river would
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Speaker 1: run through a few miles of forest and jungle, offering
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Speaker 1: no sign of occupation by man. Enormous trees rose superbly
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Speaker 1: from the banks of the stream, and their massive branches
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Speaker 1: extended for many feet over its waters, on which their
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Speaker 1: foliage threw a pleasant and picturesque shadow. From these great
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Speaker 1: lens hung numerous flexible creepers, some of them starred with
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Speaker 1: orchid like blooms of white and yellow hue. Many of
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Speaker 1: these streamers swayed gently to and fro before the light breeze,
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Speaker 1: while others, having grown down into the glassy waters, were
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Speaker 1: held still in their cold embrace. Our journey between these
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Speaker 1: walls of verdure and the forms and tents of which
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Speaker 1: were ever changing, was one of the most delightful of experiences.
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Speaker 1: The charm whereof is still fresh in my memory. When
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Speaker 1: night came down and blotted out all color and outline,
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Speaker 1: I turned on to my back and watched the stars
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Speaker 1: as they came out one by one. For an hour
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Speaker 1: or so I lay open eyed, yet dreaming, till the
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Speaker 1: monotonous chant of our boatmen, with its ever recurring chorus
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Speaker 1: of Oh Yam i Bah finally lulled me into a
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Speaker 1: profound slumber. Our convoy reached Boha in safety the following
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Speaker 1: morning at nine. This fort was constructed and garrisoned in
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Speaker 1: eighteen eighty nine at the request of a rich and
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Speaker 1: influential native chief lord of an important village called d'au quan.
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Speaker 1: This native was formerly a leader of a group of bandits,
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Speaker 1: and before the invasion of the country by the French,
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Speaker 1: had ravaged the Yente and de fied the Mandarins at
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Speaker 1: black Men. After the capture of that citadel by the
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Speaker 1: troops under General Denegriere, he was wise enough to throw
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Speaker 1: in his lot with the invaders and with his irregulars.
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Speaker 1: He fought side by side with his new allies against
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Speaker 1: the old regime. In recognition of his services to the
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Speaker 1: French cause, the government confirmed his right to administer the
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Speaker 1: district he had settled in and made him a Knight
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Speaker 1: of the Legion of Honor. During the years that followed
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Speaker 1: the occupation of the country by the French, he remained
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Speaker 1: faithful to the cause he had adopted and refused to
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Speaker 1: have anything to do with the mandarins in the court
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Speaker 1: of Wei, who were in secret partisans of the exiled Homni.
18:46
Speaker 1: Notwithstanding many overtures and rich promises made to him during
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Speaker 1: the operations in the Yinte, he rendered valuable service to
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Speaker 1: the military authorities by supplying kulis to the different columns
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Speaker 1: and by making use of the armed irregulars whom he
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Speaker 1: maintained at his own expense, to guard the lines of communication.
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Speaker 1: After the campaign was terminated, he successfully negotiated the surrender
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Speaker 1: of several influential minor chieftains, who, thanks to his efforts,
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Speaker 1: came in and delivered up their arms. We left Boha
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Speaker 1: at two in the afternoon, our little troop consisting of
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Speaker 1: a sergeant, three legionaries who were bound for Nanam, with
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Speaker 1: ten tiriers and a native corporal from the garrison. We
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Speaker 1: had left, the latter having been lent to strengthen our
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Speaker 1: effective When we had marched for about half an hour
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Speaker 1: and had crossed the Song Soois, a little stream which
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Speaker 1: runs into the Song Tuang, a few miles below Boja,
19:48
Speaker 1: we perceived a hundred yards ahead of us a small
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Speaker 1: detachment consisting of six tiriers led by a European mounted
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Speaker 1: on a native pony. I was one of the first
19:59
Speaker 1: to catch sight of them, for at the time I
20:02
Speaker 1: was in charge of the vanguard, which was composed of
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Speaker 1: two natives. When we were close enough to get a
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Speaker 1: good look at them, my surprise was great on recognizing
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Speaker 1: in the cavalier my friend Lipday. When our mutual greetings
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Speaker 1: and congratulations were over, he told me that he was
20:19
Speaker 1: out surveying the route with a view of determining the
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Speaker 1: best positions for the poles of a telegraph line about
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Speaker 1: to be established between Nanam and the fort we had
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Speaker 1: just left. I have done enough for today, said my chum,
20:34
Speaker 1: and can easily finish the job in a couple of hours.
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Speaker 1: Tomorrow morning, I will go and report to the sergeant
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Speaker 1: and come back to Nnam with you. A few minutes later,
20:44
Speaker 1: he was riding beside me as I walked, and I
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Speaker 1: was asking him many questions concerning all that had happened
20:51
Speaker 1: since I left and as to when the operations were
20:54
Speaker 1: likely to begin. For now that he was on the
20:57
Speaker 1: district staff, I knew he was likely to be well
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Speaker 1: informed on these subjects. Well, things have been pretty lively
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Speaker 1: during the last two months, he answered. Captain Placier has
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Speaker 1: been keeping the company at Nanam busy with reconnaissances and ambuscades,
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Speaker 1: but there has been no serious engagement since the little
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Speaker 1: affair at lang Quang, at which you were present. We
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Speaker 1: made a grand coup at the beginning of last month, though,
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Speaker 1: for we succeeded in finding a position rendering the enemy's
21:28
Speaker 1: big fort visible, a position on which it will not
21:32
Speaker 1: be difficult to place a battery of field guns. Able
21:36
Speaker 1: to wish a better bonjour to our rebel friends than
21:40
Speaker 1: those little toy pop guns of the Mountain artillery. What
21:44
Speaker 1: a pity old Anam is dead. He would have been
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Speaker 1: so surprised when the first ninety millimeter shells came with
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Speaker 1: a flop and a bang, right into his secret layer,
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Speaker 1: and from quite an unexpected quarter. Two why mon Giev
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Speaker 1: and me, I interrupted, have pity on me and go slow?
22:04
Speaker 1: Do you mean to say the old chief is dead? Dead?
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Speaker 1: As Caesar answered, my friend, he was poisoned in October
22:12
Speaker 1: by some Chinese who came down from the north to
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Speaker 1: sell arms and ammunition. They were his guests and killed
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Speaker 1: him because he won back all the money he had
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Speaker 1: paid them. At Bakkang, a native game called phantan in Chinese.
22:27
Speaker 1: So the spies who came to Tai Yuen told us
22:31
Speaker 1: dantou le Ha he is dead and was buried inside
22:35
Speaker 1: the big fort with great state, and that that Tom,
22:39
Speaker 1: his former lieutenant, is now commander in chief. But do
22:43
Speaker 1: you really mean to say that there is such a
22:46
Speaker 1: position as you have described? I asked for from my
22:49
Speaker 1: experience of the manner in which the rebels concealed their forts,
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Speaker 1: such a thing seemed quite impossible, most certainly, replied Liptei.
22:59
Speaker 1: I was on Cherami, but I had better tell you
23:03
Speaker 1: the tale from the beginning, for you matter of fact,
23:06
Speaker 1: Englishmen are like Saint Thomas and require palpable facts. He
23:11
Speaker 1: slipped his feet out of the stirrups so that his
23:14
Speaker 1: long legs dangled comfortably, and, after shifting the carbine slung
23:18
Speaker 1: across his back into an easy position, began his tail.
23:23
Speaker 1: Towards the end of November, len Yi, the informer, was
23:27
Speaker 1: sent on to us at Taynuen. You know the man, probably,
23:32
Speaker 1: I nodded an affirmative, and he continued. Ebien. Lieutenant Delieuz,
23:37
Speaker 1: chief of our intelligence department, used to pass hours at
23:40
Speaker 1: a time with him, took him to his house and
23:43
Speaker 1: never lost sight of the fellow for a week. Delise
23:46
Speaker 1: speaks the vernacular like a native. Pity there are so
23:49
Speaker 1: few like him, and the pair were soon like core Chemise.
23:54
Speaker 1: I knew there was something brewing, and was not surprised
23:58
Speaker 1: when on the second December orders were issued for a
24:01
Speaker 1: reconnaissance en force to proceed to Nanam the following day,
24:07
Speaker 1: one company of the legion and one of terriers, a
24:10
Speaker 1: column three hundred and fifty strong, and of course de
24:13
Speaker 1: Leus and lin Nye were with them, so was I.
24:18
Speaker 1: Major Bhard himself was in command. We slept a night
24:22
Speaker 1: at Nanam and went on to Boha the next day,
24:25
Speaker 1: after taking with us the mountain gun from the former
24:28
Speaker 1: fort at Boha, we rested and the following morning left
24:33
Speaker 1: by a path which runs to the northwest and passes
24:36
Speaker 1: through two ruined villages, Kokai and Longnaou, which were burnt
24:41
Speaker 1: by Colonel Fray's column in January last Why you must
24:46
Speaker 1: have been due north of where the enemy's new positions
24:48
Speaker 1: are supposed to be, I exclaimed, so you would think,
24:52
Speaker 1: said my friend, But in reality we were due west
24:56
Speaker 1: when we got to a point about a kilometer beyond
24:59
Speaker 1: where Cho Kai I used to be the enemy's scout
25:02
Speaker 1: stationed on the hills to our left, signaled our advance
25:05
Speaker 1: by firing their rifles. Upon this, the column left the
25:09
Speaker 1: path and made a general demonstration to the southeast. Our
25:14
Speaker 1: men got in touch with the enemy and kept them
25:16
Speaker 1: occupied for a couple of hours by fainting an attack
25:20
Speaker 1: on Regla. Lieutenant Delieuz and I took lyn Nyie with
25:24
Speaker 1: us and slipped quietly away to the west of the path.
25:28
Speaker 1: For an hour we scrambled along through the long grass,
25:31
Speaker 1: Nie acting as guide. Then we went off to the north,
25:35
Speaker 1: walking all the time in the valleys and keeping to
25:38
Speaker 1: the jungle so as to escape all chance of observation.
25:42
Speaker 1: At last we reached the foot of a hill somewhat
25:45
Speaker 1: taller than the surrounding ones. It was about eight hundred
25:48
Speaker 1: feet high, which had neither a bush nor a tree
25:52
Speaker 1: on its steep sides, but was covered all over with
25:55
Speaker 1: high yellow grass. Ni whispered that we must go cautiously
25:59
Speaker 1: to the top. So up we crawled on our hands
26:02
Speaker 1: and knees and lay flat on our stomachs when we
26:06
Speaker 1: reached the summit. Then we crept along until the opposite
26:10
Speaker 1: crest was gained we had all brought big native hats
26:13
Speaker 1: with us, which we were careful to wear. When I
26:16
Speaker 1: looked down, I was surprised to see that the path
26:19
Speaker 1: to Boha ran round the foot of this hill, and
26:23
Speaker 1: our column might have come here with ease. Had it
26:26
Speaker 1: not been that this would have given the enemy some
26:28
Speaker 1: idea of what we were looking for. The view was
26:32
Speaker 1: a splendid one. First about five hundred meters of tall
26:35
Speaker 1: grass and jungle, then a kilometer of forests which ran
26:40
Speaker 1: down to the songsois for we could catch here and
26:43
Speaker 1: there the gleam of its waters. Beyond this a mass
26:46
Speaker 1: of hills thickly wooded, then more hills covered with grass,
26:51
Speaker 1: and beyond bright green blotches of cultivated land. The weather
26:56
Speaker 1: was so clear that I caught sight of the flag
26:59
Speaker 1: at Nana, though it was quite twelve kilometers away, and
27:03
Speaker 1: I pointed it out to deluz. Len Ye stretched out
27:07
Speaker 1: his hand towards the forest, and indicating a spot close
27:10
Speaker 1: to a bend in the little river, exclaimed excitedly. Look. Look.
27:15
Speaker 1: As I turned to him, it seemed to me that
27:18
Speaker 1: his face was drawn and yellow, and his eyes were
27:21
Speaker 1: much brighter than usual. I could see nothing in the
27:24
Speaker 1: direction he pointed to but trees. But the lieutenant, after
27:28
Speaker 1: looking through his field glasses for more than a minute,
27:31
Speaker 1: suddenly exclaimed, sapristi oi, I see roofs. I turned to
27:36
Speaker 1: ask me a question, but refrained from speaking, for he
27:40
Speaker 1: lay with his head on his arms, his face to
27:43
Speaker 1: the earth. He was sobbing like a child, and his
27:46
Speaker 1: heaving shoulders betokened the depth of his emotion. Poor devil,
27:51
Speaker 1: I interrupted, Yes, Poor devil repeated lip tee. Then he
27:56
Speaker 1: continued de luce, passed me his glasses, and after careful searching,
28:00
Speaker 1: I caught glimpses of brown thatched roofs between the trees.
28:04
Speaker 1: These belonged to the houses within the big fortified village,
28:08
Speaker 1: which has been in existence for three years at least.
28:12
Speaker 1: It is situated in the dense forest at a point
28:15
Speaker 1: where the songs soois forms a loop. So well is
28:18
Speaker 1: it concealed that had not LONGNI been with us, I
28:21
Speaker 1: am convinced we should have failed to make it out.
28:24
Speaker 1: After a few minutes, our native friend got the better
28:27
Speaker 1: of his emotion, and he started giving more explanations to
28:31
Speaker 1: the lieutenant concerning the position. While he was doing so,
28:35
Speaker 1: I got out my pinia, a military surveying compass sighted
28:40
Speaker 1: the flag at Nanam and got a bearing. Then I
28:43
Speaker 1: obtained an angle on the Nui d'aut, you know, the
28:46
Speaker 1: hill to the southwest of Nanam, where they have fixed
28:50
Speaker 1: up a heliographic station. Time was getting on and there
28:54
Speaker 1: was a danger of being sighted at any moment, so
28:57
Speaker 1: we crawled down the way we had come back to
29:00
Speaker 1: the column and reported. I fancy the major was very
29:04
Speaker 1: glad to see us again, and I am sure he
29:07
Speaker 1: must have been pleased with the information deLuce gave him.
29:11
Speaker 1: The troops were called in and the column formed up
29:14
Speaker 1: on the path and marched back to Bojac. I don't
29:17
Speaker 1: think that the enemy had an inkling of what we
29:19
Speaker 1: were after, and they were probably disappointed at not having
29:23
Speaker 1: succeeded in drawing our troops on into the forest where
29:27
Speaker 1: they could have adopted their favorite tactics. Comments were rife
29:32
Speaker 1: among our men, for they had counted on an engagement,
29:36
Speaker 1: and as they expressed it, hona aete laudence ou moment
29:41
Speaker 1: ou les villonment ete acquade. As we were marching away,
29:47
Speaker 1: I heard one fellow say, pon die ponthieu. I don't
29:51
Speaker 1: believe the old fossil knows himself what we did go
29:54
Speaker 1: out for. They might just as well have sent a
29:56
Speaker 1: few recruits from the biff the line regiments. Why for
30:00
Speaker 1: three long hours we did nothing but waste our ammunition
30:04
Speaker 1: on half a dozen skinny natives who were dodging about
30:07
Speaker 1: among the trees Quelles Marie. If they had known the
30:11
Speaker 1: result obtained, they would have sung another song. But it
30:15
Speaker 1: must be kept secret, of course, until the campaign is opened,
30:19
Speaker 1: and that will not be before the beginning of March. Rather late,
30:23
Speaker 1: isn't it, I asked, well, you see it will be
30:26
Speaker 1: fine and cold. Then answered my friend, And with the
30:30
Speaker 1: information we now possess, I don't think the expedition ought
30:34
Speaker 1: to last more than a fortnight. He now gave me
30:37
Speaker 1: more details concerning the defensive organization of the rebels. Besides
30:42
Speaker 1: the big fortified village already mentioned about four miles to
30:46
Speaker 1: the north of Hautoi, demolished by Colonel Frey's column a
30:49
Speaker 1: year before, there were numerous positions, forts and entrenchments built
30:55
Speaker 1: to defend the paths leading to it. All these obstacles
30:58
Speaker 1: were accumulated to the south and east of the main position,
31:02
Speaker 1: from which it was evident that the rebels were confident
31:05
Speaker 1: that all future attacks would come from the same direction
31:09
Speaker 1: as the preceding ones. That Tom possessed a force of
31:13
Speaker 1: about two thousand men, twelve hundred of whom were armed
31:17
Speaker 1: with breech loading rifles of various patterns. It was also
31:21
Speaker 1: probable that this chief was aware that the French would
31:24
Speaker 1: commence operations against him as soon as the weather was
31:27
Speaker 1: cool enough to allow of large bodies of European troops
31:31
Speaker 1: being moved about the country, and that in consequence he
31:35
Speaker 1: had come to some understanding with the powerful leaders of
31:39
Speaker 1: the Chinese bands in the north and west Tonkan, so
31:42
Speaker 1: as to secure their assistance in case of need. Of
31:46
Speaker 1: these the two most important were Baki and lngtm Qi,
31:52
Speaker 1: who occupied vast tracts of mountainous country to the north
31:56
Speaker 1: of the Yinte, into which the French had as yet
32:00
Speaker 1: made no serious effort to penetrate. Both of these brigand
32:04
Speaker 1: chieftains had established their domination in these districts sometime before
32:10
Speaker 1: the arrival of the Western foreigners in Tonkin. Colonel now
32:15
Speaker 1: General Frey, in his admirable work on the subject, compares
32:19
Speaker 1: them to the feudal lords of the Middle Ages, since
32:22
Speaker 1: they administered the territory occupied as a fief, all the
32:26
Speaker 1: inhabitants being subjected to regular taxation wisely calculated so as
32:32
Speaker 1: not to excite discontent, and their authority was undisputed. These
32:38
Speaker 1: two leaders could dispose of from two to three thousand
32:41
Speaker 1: Chinese armed with rifles, part of which force they would
32:45
Speaker 1: certainly be willing to place at the service of De
32:48
Speaker 1: Tom on the payment of a stipulated amount of money.
32:53
Speaker 1: In fact, this is what actually did happen. Paquet and
32:57
Speaker 1: long tom Ki submitted to French rule in NAD eighteen
33:00
Speaker 1: ninety five, but their territory has not been occupied by
33:04
Speaker 1: the troops for two very good reasons. First because the
33:08
Speaker 1: district is so poor that the expense entailed would hardly
33:11
Speaker 1: be justifiable, and also owing to the fact that the
33:15
Speaker 1: region is so unhealthy that Europeans cannot remain there any
33:20
Speaker 1: length of time without falling victims to fever and disentery.
33:25
Speaker 1: When we reached Nanam, I received a hearty greeting from
33:28
Speaker 1: my comrades, some of whom, owing to my prolonged absence,
33:33
Speaker 1: were under the impression that I had also fallen a
33:35
Speaker 1: victim to the Chotranng fever, as they called it. It
33:39
Speaker 1: was comforting to find myself back in my former quarters,
33:43
Speaker 1: to fall once more into the jargon of the corps
33:46
Speaker 1: and take part in the daily routine of the garrison.
33:50
Speaker 1: Two days later, Lipte left for Tenuenes with Lieutenant de Luz.
33:54
Speaker 1: I saw this smart, intelligent officer. He was a small,
33:58
Speaker 1: brown faced, wiry man, whose most remarkable trait was the quiet,
34:03
Speaker 1: low toned voice in which he spoke to those under him.
34:06
Speaker 1: The men told wild tales concerning his wonderful knowledge of
34:10
Speaker 1: the language and customs of the natives, whereby it was
34:14
Speaker 1: said he had, on several occasions been able to adopt
34:17
Speaker 1: a disguise and accompany some of the native spies on
34:21
Speaker 1: their expeditions. Whether this was exact or not, I should
34:25
Speaker 1: not like to declare, but it is certain that this
34:28
Speaker 1: officer possessed a wonderful knowledge of the vernacular and was
34:33
Speaker 1: a topographical expert of no small merit. I had hardly
34:38
Speaker 1: time to settle down in my old quarters again, for
34:41
Speaker 1: a week after my arrival, my section was sent off
34:44
Speaker 1: to Beauja to strengthen the garrison in that part, which
34:48
Speaker 1: at the time consisted of a company of native troops
34:52
Speaker 1: under the orders of Captain pernh end of Chapter six,
34:57
Speaker 1: Part one A