WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 207, 9 February 1915, Page 3

WAR NOTES.

D'YE KEN JOHN FRENCH? D'ye ken John French with his khaki suit His belt and his gaiters and stout brown boots, Along with his gnus, and his horse, and his Foot, On the road to Berlin in the morning? . Yes, we ken John French, and old Joffre too. And all his men to the. tri-color true; And Belgians and Russians, a jolly good few, On the road to Berlin in the morning.

The Prussian Kaiser must be made to kneel, The Prussian Eagle must be made to feel, The force of the bullei and the good cold steel, On the road to Berlin in the morning. For the mothers they slew, and the kids as well, And for sundry things it's not to tell, We've got to catch and to give 'em hell On the road to Berlin in the morning. (To the tune of "D'ye ken Job,, Peel?") We are billeted for the present in a pig-sty padded with straw. This is one uf the discomforts o~ active service, but ] we expert to go up to the trenches again 1 to-morrow evening. Our trenches are l about (iOOyds from the Germans. By the ivay, "H.AC." stands for "Ilappy aad Cheerful.'* GirURKA BLOOD LUST. A FOE DEMENTED. I In a letter from the front, Count P. Fouier d'Hineourt gives a very suggestive description of the work of the Gurkhas: — "Several days ago, the Scots tried to seize a redoubtable trench at X.; they 1 wasted themselves in vain efforts, under a murderous fire, to break the. webs of the German spiders. The men fell by files; nevertheless, not one thought of turning back, and to the last they would have gone to their deaths.. Suddenly there slipped in between the depleted ranks of the Highlanders some men win; had not been noticed. They passed like cats under the barbed wire, with the kukri in their right hands, and threw j themselves on the enemy with a bizarre ] cry that resembled the cry of wild an-1 imals. "Muda, muda (to death, to, death!) The Ghurkhas were in the trenches! Groans and moans and death rattles replied to the savage clamour; quickly the mitrailleuses became silent, and the rifles ceased their fire. Terrified by the apparition of These Kombro-visaged demons, who i.hrcw themselves on them, strangling them and rutting their throats, the Germans turned in furious tlight. The combatants roiled together in water and blood. Like wild beasts that the smell of blood has maddened, the Ghurkhas continued their terrible task into the night. The heavy' blades of the kukris plunged into tin breasts, sliced the necks, carving, amputating; it was a Ddttle of madness of which it is impossible to give any idea. Captured Germans had scarcely any manhood left them; there was in their eyes the lxed stare of the demented, and they trembled in all their bodies. They did not seem to realise what had taken place; one could leave them where they were for tbev could I not fly because the shock of terror had; taken from them the use of their limbs.! The Ghurkhas, one of the officers told me, have only one fault. It is when once they are allowed to start, it is impossible to hold theni back." 108,000 CANADIANS.. lIFADY OR PREPARING FOR WiR. It has been determined (says a statement issued by the Canadian Premier) ihilt the number if men under training can be increased in the immediate future to 50.000. in additii n to the S'lOO men engaged in garrison and outpost duty. Instructions rill b> given that the i Jitirral number thus proposed shall be enlisted forthwith. The Canadian forces t'ms organised for act' ■ -. sendee will be as tolieus:— For-es already lispalehed (including the >t i'ment garviSjiul at Bermuda) n 'ally as,ooo. IYh'i engaged on irarrisin and outpest] d• l ri" Canada, about Sd'lO. j Forces under training in Canada, 50,00(1—total, ill,00(1.

As soon as the second contingent goes forward a further enlistment of 17,001) men to takes its plaen will be made, bringing the total up to lOS.OOO. Thereafter. further expeditionary forces will be followed by the enlistment of men to take their place as arranged in the proposals made public on October 1!). SHOT AND STABBED LIKE DEMONS. Thrilling experiences are related by Corporal Bain, of the. 2nd Scots Guards, who has returned with a shrapnel wound in bis right leg and a bayonet wound in the neck, which he received at Yprcs. Bain says the shelling their trench gut before the Prussian Guards made their final effort was something damnable, ft was then that lie got hit on the leg. A chum took out a bit of metal, cleaned the wound with a bandage and then bound it up. The whole operation was completed in three or four minutes. There was need for haste. Hoarse shouts about, three hundred, yards ahead told them "the Kaiser's last hope" were coming on'again, and coming fast. Tliey were met by a storm of bullets, but so numerous anil determined were tliey that it was only at the trench itself the wave was broken. They roared and shot and stabbed like demons, and lik" demons our men roared and shot and stabbed in rcplv. Tn and out of the trench the ldoodv work went on. Moll fell fast, and in the darkness it was difficult— i„ fact, almost, impossible—to distinguish friend from foe. Bain expected death, and wondered if if. would be as painless as his leg, which did not hurt at. all. It, was then he found himself out of til'- trench and face to face with two of the enemy. Even as he looked at them, one fell with a sereino, and the other lunged at him sava»elv with his huvoifct. Bain ducked swiff.lv and lunged forward with all his might. He felt his hav'tnet go well home, imd »t the same time something like a hot iron (ore his neck and knocked him sidewavs. He thinks he lost consciousness for a time. Bv anil by he raised himself, and was sitting on the ground when another I.anarekshire man named Donaldson came along and told liini that dawn was coming, and that, he was sure the fighting was over for the time being. Donaldson bail not ,r "t a scratch, liai" had a lump behind Ms right ear. and a long cut, through the muscles of his neck. The ]titnti was due to the lnuz/'e of the Tin-Mian's rifle, thcut had been enured by Ihe havnnet. The Prus;ian himself --a young fair-haired giant - was Iving close bv, not dead, but sneceliless and dvin" with a great; gaping wound in his stomach.

RHEUMATISM. Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment removes more cams of rheumatism ever" year than all the so-called rheumatism medicines combined. Tt will penetrate to your vorv bones, and soothe and subdue (he pain. 'I lie first, application will relieve, and continuous use will bring about marvellous results. Price, Is Od