Stories from the Front.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 13, 16 January 1915, Page 7

Stories from the Front.

OUR INDIAN FIGHTERS. London, December 4. Writes the special correspondent ol the New Zealand Times:—

Everybody speaks very well ol the way the Indian troops are fighting. They are nil doing well, Sikhs, Partialis, and Gurkhas, Kajputs," Jats, Punjabis, Garwhalis, Dogmas, and Deccan Mussulmans. lam told that perhaps the Jats have done a shade better than anybody so far. There was n case the other day in which the Germans, dog-tired in their trenches put out 30 sentries over a short space of ground with the object of giving the other men a night's rest. A Gurkha officer obtained permission t< try and bag those sentries. He sent out 60 Gurkhas to stalk then., with instructions that there must be m firing. The only sound that eam> through the night was a subdue gurgle. The Gurkhas bagged the lot without the Germans knowing a thin about it. and our troops were able t surprise the enemy asleep in thei trenches, with the result that the off: rial communique gave us the bald ar nouncement next day, that there habeen "a slight wdvance" at this par ticular sptft.

Ail English subaltern had a weii" experience a few clays ago. He wa; with half-adozen brother officers in r ruined farmhouse,, when a shell burst in their midst. When he recovered consciousness he felt very sick, bid slowly got better, and discovered thahe was untouched. All his comrade, were dead except one, who was ver\ severely wounded, and he judged tha' the fighting was over for the ti-nr being, because the furious cannonade had ceased, and everything was silent Ho carried his wounded comrade o hi-; hack to the British line, walkinp slowly across oountrjl with his burden He wiv surprised to feel the woundec man struggling feebly and to hear him murmuring something about lying down, but he attributed it to delirium When he reached bis destination h' found that he had crossed' unscathed the most deadly part of the batth zone, a terrain absolutely swept b} the enemy's fire. For the fighting was still going on furiouslv, and his wound ed comrade knew it all the time, hut he himself was stone deal for a fortnight.

"KISS ME, CHARLIE." The friends of another officer in : well-known British infantry regimen; are laughing heartily at his experi ences on the way to the front. Aftei detraining at the ra'jway base his battalion, of which he was in command of the leading company, marched through several small villages. At one larger place they were effusively gree' ed by the Mayor and his two charmin r daughters, impulsive young ladies whe threw their arms round the Britisl captain's neck s>nd kissed him on hot' checks. His Tommies took it all i' with>great glee. And all the rest o the journey, whenever any sort o petticoat hove in sight, that officer knew that all his men were looking a* him quizzingly, while they emphasise' 1 the joke by whistling: "Kiss me, Charlie," and "Who" were you with last night ?" The embarrassed officer wrote borne:- "I was damn glad to get into the fi»'ing line—but my Tommies behav ed splendidly all the same."

"SING!" The Territorial Army has justifies itself completely. Four months of hard training have brought the infantry up \tn tiif regular standard. How good it is 1 realised the other day from an incident that may seem trivial, but improved me as eloquent. One drenching afternoon forty soaked Tommies of an ordinary Territorial battalion, with Itwo officers, marched into a suburban railway station, and while one officer went to get the tickets the other formed the squad two deep along the platform. A harder or finer set of seasoned looking troops no one could hope to see. They had all the cachet of Regulars. And they began to sing a soldier song as they stood easy, wet through, waiting for the train. Up hustled the fussy and officious little stationmaster, a. perfect Bumble cordially detested by golfers. "Xow then," ho shouted angrily, "stop that row." The Tommies were instantly silent. But their officer, a typical "little officer boy" about twenty year old, with the faint beginnings of a .toothbrush moustache, stepped up from behind. Tapping the station master gingerly on the shoulder, with extended finger-;, he said crisply: "If you interfere with my men"—splendid emphasis op the "my men"—"l will have you put out of the station, sir." Then to his men—" Sing!" KAISER AND REBEL. WHEN CENERAL BEYERS VISITED SWITZERLAND. Attention is being paid in the German press to a fact recalled by certain Swiss newspapers. This is" that in the autumn of 1912, on Swiss territory, the Kaiser had an interview with General Beyers, the South African rebel leader, which, in the light of recent happenings, wears a suggestive appearance. The meeting took plac on September 4th, 1912. during the progress of an "engagement" between the Red and Blue armies participating in the Swiss autumn manoeuvres. Beyers had j come to Swi'v.orland to ae/Miaint him-s-lf with Swiss army matters. The following are the particulars of the meeting, as given in the Gorman papers, apparently on the authority of German Swiss journals:— ■ "The Kaiser drew the commnnrhnt into lengthy conversation, in which li -1 sotu'bt, above "verytliina else, to gather information as to condi-

fcions in the Beer, country; and thi?>

L cn vernation left uvwn Bejel'.., according to his own statements, an indelible impression. Beyers was described by Swiss people as a remarkably charming and affable man. It was advisable, however, never to turn tho conversation to .the Moor war. in whk-h bo Fought, because he could not betff to ■ hink of the subjugation of his free Fatherland by the English." The most noteworthy paragraph, however, is this, attributed to "a Saint-Gall newspaper," not specifically named :

"The moment will remain unfogettable when . . ■ the young Boer Commandant Beyers placed his hand, in greeting and in leave-taking, in that of the German Emperor, and in that hour very likely made a pledge to himself that he and his people would 'ight for a new free Fatherland. By he side of the Kaiser and Commandmt Beyers, however, there stood at that moment, amiably smiling, General Pau." This allusion to the presence of the French general is not the least significant portion of the article. GERMAN EYES ON DOVER. LANS TO REFORM MAP OF EUROPE. New York, December 8. Professor Kuno Meyer, who is pro- ; es«or of Celtic philology at the Ilni-,-ersity of Berlin, told members of the )eutsche Verein at Columbia University to-night that just before leavng Germany he had attended an inormal conference of high'officials, inluding the Colonial Minister and Jerman Consul-General Bopp to San Francisco, at which they discussed the reformation of the map of Europe in the easent that Germany is victorious. They decided that Antwerp would be kept by Germany, but that no part of Russia would be taken. As for Poland, she would he left to lecide upon her own form of governnent. No French territory would he taken except a small strip in the Vos <*es region. As for England, they thought Ger<iany would probably let her off with he annexation of Dover.

INVASION FEARED.

GERMANS MAY LAND 90,000 IN BRITAIN. YARNING BY GENERAL BADENPOWELL. London} December 12. General Baden-Powell shares the pinion of many other English miliary experts, who believe that Gernany fully expects to invade England, f possible, and will direct its activiies toward the commercial cities in he north of England, rather than torn rd London and the resort cities of V south. In the opinion of General 'aden-Powell; Germany will endeavour "i land at least 90,000 troops in England.

"T ; know that the general idea is." said General Baden-Powell, in a recent : ntervie\v, "tljat the attempt to invade England will be made on the ••oast of Norfolk or Suffolk. Person»lly, I think that the Yorkshire coast '«! more likely, for the Germans will •rst desire to invade the industrial centres.

"Once let them get hold of some of v ,he big manufacturing towns, facfories would be smashed np and ruin°d, and I estimate that they could L Vn throw 14,000.000 persons out of ""•nnloyment, rendering them destitute Hid starving. It is certain that even by a short, sharp raid they could do a tremendous amoimd of damage." The general is far less optimistic about the war than many of England's tublic men. The hero of Mafeking in lisoussing the present crisis, said: — There are still many persons in counvy districts, and even in some of our arge towns, who do not realise what ;his great war means—that Britain's ight is one for her very existence.

"We receive encouraging reports hat we are doing well, but we must emember that one side or the other .mist go under, and go under for ever. present it looks as if the wind is blowing in our favor, but there is always the unexpected to consider. You ;an never tell. The right thing to do is to try to smash the Germans now, which means that every man must put lis shoulder to the wheel."