THROUGH A WAR TELESCOPE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 79, 28 December 1918, Page 10

THROUGH A WAR TELESCOPE

WHAT A FRENCH SOLDIER SAW,

This is the tragic story of an observation post—perhaps the most remarkable observation post on.the entire Western front. Though the ruins of the old baron's castle thut sheltered it showed from inlle-3 of country round like a beacon against tho sky, no man was ever seen approaching or leaving it. Yon had first to clamber by. a goat's track, almost perpendicular in places, some 900 ft. into the air,- and then for threo or four.nun-, dred more to crawl right into the bowols of tho hill by a tunnel 4ft. , high, pitch dark, and all slime and water, till it gavo final entry by a trapdoor into a tiny concrete chamber with a narrow slot some four inches wide for a window— and for furniture a chair, a shelf, a telescope, and a telephone. There two artillerymen kept ceaseless watch over the great plain in front of them—a plain on which the fate of empires was being decided. Under tho observation of this post came a red-rooted village some three miles away. It nestled in I a crevice of the f hills within the ondmy's lines, and so far no shells had fallen upon it." The observers had kept an augry eye on that village, for every day. they could watch women and children driven out to work in the fields by their: German taskmasters, herded all day by the overster, who applied his stick if they did not work to his satisfaction. The' observors used to watch this slavedriving till their blood boiled, but they could do nothing but ewenr vows.of von-, geance. One day a "poilu" was brought up to tho post bocauso his home happened to be in that very village, and ho had begged to be allowed to see it. He was moved to great emotion, when he looked down again, after, four years' absence, on that beloved spot. The telescope was of tho powerful kind used in such posts, which will define people clearly at twenty miles, and made nothing at all of tho distance to tho village. The soldier remained tor eoine* time with his cheek glued to 1 the eyepiece, muttering with mingled ecstasy and apprehension at what he saw. Suddenly he started away from the telescope with a cry as though about to greet someone beside him, but at once pressing his eye again- to tho lens poured forth a. torrent of incoherent tenderness and entreaty. After a while he became calmer, but suddenly he gesticulated wildly and burst into a fury of wrath, hate, and execration. ■■.■'. , ,i • The observers, .fearing injury to their instrument, tried to drag him away from the telescope, and then, realising tbat ho had a madman's strength, thought it wiser to let him go on looking. He had, as they gathered from his disjointed utterance, seen a German threatening his wife," and in spite of its horror h ehad to see what would come of it lortunately threats did not that time resolve into, blows. Presently his wife passed out of his view, 'and tho poor fellow collapsed, altogether' and burst into tears. The observers promised when he left to keep an eyo upon the house. On the advance beginning some time after- they had grave fears, because an American; shell, knocked off a corner of the roof. Next day, however, they saw both mother and child in tho garden examining tho damage that had been done.- So,far the village-has been spared, and the observers were able to send word to the anxious soldier of the safety of his belongings.