LITTLE PICTURES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 181, 9 January 1915, Page 6

LITTLE PICTURES.

VIVID FLASHES OF THE WAR. GERMAN PRISONERS ON TRANSrUK'J'. A scene, in which a distinguished German officer from the Emden played a part is described in a letter written by an old public school boy wdio is now with flic Expeditionary Force in figypt. I-ld was travelling on the flagship of the transports, and writes as follows: — "They brought forty of the German prisoners on board here, and four of the officers, including the Commander of the Emden and a nephew of the Kaiser, who did not like it at all. They refused to give their parole, and are therefore kept under close guard. They arc given cabins up in the. officers' quarters, and have armed sentries, with fixed bayonets guarding them. The men are all quartered in the stern of the boat in the well deck, and are also under a strong guhrd—only allowed on deck at certain hours for exercise. Tt ■was very funny one night just after tlutr came aboard. The officer of the guard was explaining to the Kaiser's nephew what was wanted of him, when he turned on the officer in a great rage. But out; of our fellows was at the • officer's elbow with the bayonet fixed and the point of it just pressed against his chest which made him shut up like a box!"

■ Referring to the Emden fight, the writer says:—'Some of the prisoners on here say that they were surprised by the, fine shooting, as the second shot •went right through the Emden's dec'; and explode between decks. I .might say that two of the prisoners had been ■living in Melbourne before war broke out.'when they joined the Emden. The •majority of them speak English well." —(Age).

Tf. ON THE MARCH. A second lieutenant in the East Surrey Regiment, writing home, gives some i int. resting details of the march i/f the ■ British Army from the Aisne to its present fighting line. He says: '•Henceforward our moves could only he made at night-time owing to secrecy. Tiiat night we fell in again and marched to (twenty miles). It was a fearful march to do at the pace we went. When 1. got in, I did not dare take, my boots oil'; if I had I should not have got them on again. It is awfully funny to see anybody's feet if he takes hi; boots off after these long marches; they immediately swell up, like young balloons. The next day we marched to ——. Here we went into the best billets I.'have been in so far. A. and I • shared a huge bed, which had been slept in a week before, by a German general. The next day, October j, we were told ! that we should remain in billets that night, so we slept all day, and had an Jenormous meal, all the officers together. It was a very merry party, I though very funny-looking—some with their hair clipped all over, and some with it about fiin. long.

"Wc had to inarch on again, another six miles, to a chateau, a top-hole place in tlic middle of a large wood. It belonged to a French millionaire. We all slept in the house, and established a mess tliere, and we got tin; whole of the battalion in the outhouses. We now began to see that we were working up to the Hermans' extreme right! dank. We were now welcomed with open arms. The Frenchwomen rush after, ua shouting "Vive les Anglais!'' and giving the men bread and butter, sandwiches, apples, pears, anything, in fact. They give the officers cigars, too, as we march along. Our advance now was covered by the French Cuirassiers and our own cavalry n:nl some French infantry. We were to attack a village'. My platoon was .in support, and while advancing we came out from behind two haystacks, when suddenly a machine gun opened fire on us about 400 yards away. Luckily no one was hit. Our own machine-guns did awfully good work, mowing down the Germans bv the dozen."

111. ivax, sox oe iva:;. The Russian Tommy, or as he is called here, Tvan, son of Ivan, is a most im-pressive-looking soldier. Nearly all over oft. liin, in height, and of splendid build, they recall certain Irish regiments in size and swagger. For, as soon as the peasant has dunned the long, light terra-cotta-colored overcoat and learned to set his cap at a jaunty angle, he assumes the martial swagger. The Russian military overcoat is the best bit of soldier's wearing apparel I have seen in any army. Not only is it smart and cut in color, but eminently practical. "No belter protection agflinst the winter cold could be devised. T used to think that the English military coat was the best made, but the Russian is better. It is not necessary to emphasise the importance of having a good covering in Russia in winter. T have been much impressed by the European Russian ,Army. In every detail it, is superior to the Russian Army I saw nearly ten years ago in ■Manchuria. There is every indication that the ■standard of intelligence is higher. The reorganisation of 1010 has worked wonders in the personnel. Also there tan be no doubt of the popularity of this war with the rani: and file. For years hatred of Germany lias been smouldering in the breasts of the Russians, and now it has burst into flame. The Germans have always albrteil to despise the Russian military organisation. They could give a categorical list of its defects. That it could for one moment stand against the German "machine" was not to be dreamed of. .Such was the firm belief at Potsdam. There is one more miscalculation of the arrogant enemy, and now he pays dearly for his mistake. Not only is the rank and file of the army bettered, but already the war has developed some subtle tacticians among the Russian generals. General Rnssky. who commands the armv movim.; i.-n Kalisz. has shown himself to lie a field uunmander of hi-h abilitv. As vet it is impossible to make a complete study of his tactics, but from such information as comes to hand his advance along the River Pilica was nothing short of masterly. Another name that will soon be known all over Europe is that of General Tvanoh". General Tvauoll' was considered the deepest military student in Russia. When Przeiuysl falls/the name of Radko JlimitrielT will ring around the world. For a mouth this commander has been closing his grip on the garrison which blocks his-path. For sufficient reasons he has not hurried in his task., When gaunt disease raises its menacing head in an invested city the besiegers' can afford to wait and make it an ally. Rut the real head in name and in fact, of all the armies of Russia is the Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaivitch. He is a Russian of the old school. Never sparing himself in the service of his Eqipcror and country, ho demands the

same sacrifices from tho.se who work J with him. Spartan in his oh! standards | his example has had a splendid effect on j the whole of the Russian Army. So- | vere lie is, but only as a great soldier j must be. When one carries the respon- I sibility of one-sixth of the world on his shoulders, one cannot listen to excuses. In the. army, he is the law and the word. No amount of influence can save a general who has failed. No explanaI tion can excuse an officer who has been neglectful. This master works only with the best weapons. If Bismarck was a man or iron, Nicholas Nicolaiviteh is a man of chilled steel.—(Daily Telegraph).