The Hawaiian gazette., 1870-10-05
Reception of French Prisoners at
BERLIN.


When the train with the prisoners got in,
there were about 5000 people inside the terminus
lining the rails ; a great number of gamins." or
street boys" as they are called here, among
them. A tremendous but merry and goOd-natured
yell received the red trousers of the French in
fantry and the blue costume Of the Turcos. In
each carriage there was one Prussian private of
either of the two regiments which stormed the
Gasberg, Goats Hill at Weissenburg, his he'll
met adorned with green boughs. The French
were partly squatting, but their guides invited
them to stand up. to show their respect for the
people Of the capital. While they were slowly
passing before me examined the expression of
their eountenauces. It was mostly that of shy
curiosity. and of embarrassment not unmixed
with pride. OF course they could not under
stand what the people, in an enormous confusion
Of voices. said to them, but the uuspeakably
comieal grin of the street-boys, sitting ou the
shoulders of each other, at all events gave them
hint of it. At last one successful cry got the
upperhand for which somebody had furnished the
boys with the necessary French, and which was
addressed to every Turco or Zouave, after the
manner of Les Lampions. d" Les chats les
chats" Where are the tom-cats ?" had become
the favorite refrain of the juvenile voices. 1t
easily observable that. with the boys, the
French far from being considered as haughty and
humiliated enemies. were extremely popular. In
a few minutes, the boundess hilarity of the lads
communicated itself to the French themselves,
their officers excepted who bid themselves in the
interior of their firs:-class railway carriage l
left the young ladies handing in refreshing drink
to the tawny fellows of Southern France and of
the Atlas, and made my cab follow the track of
the circular railway, over which the train was TO
proceed to the Eastern line. This circular rail-
way, on a level with the road has in the process
OF time. been lined with houses, and is, in fact,
now street railway Dense masses Of people
stood all along it. At last | was overtakeu by
the train, ard let il pass. But how had its aspect
changed 1t looked as never railway train looked
before. The determination Of the prisoners with
the boys had become perfect numbers of them
had crept into the carriages, and were sitting be-
tween the legs of the French and the Africans,
wearing their caps Several had provided them
selves with cats Those that could not get into
the crowded carriages bad climbed on the top of
them, where they amused themselves by standing
on their heads and brandishing their legs. There
were no stairs, protruding boards, that boys
were not sitting upon. Seen from distance,
the train looked like a Buddhist idol, with
thousands Of legs and thousands of arms protrud-
ing in all conceivable directions There was a
young, tall. heshy beardless Arab, with fair
skin and extremely handsome face, who excited
general attention because he looked atogetherlike
really woman, and the ladies' presented him
with fan. with which he kept tanning himself,
and smiling in the most arch and coquettisb
way, being evidently accustomed to have bis fun
with the public. | reached the terminus of the
Eastern railway by short cut before the train,
but conld get.in with great difficulty. owing to
the immense crowds by which il was surrounded.
The densely -peopled neIghborhood, the seat Of
the berlin shawl Manufacture, had poured forth
still greater masses than we're visible at the west
end of the town. Here. the attempt to admit by
ticket only had perfectly broken down. l dare
inside the terminus. Even the huge supper
place for the prisoners was filed to he brim,
thus rendering their passage to their seats ex-
tremely difficult. The greatest efforts made BY
the police were Of no avail only the persuasive
power Of the secular ladies', who presided here,
made the croEd yield. The rsisoners got each
large basin Of boaeIon au ri,, more than quar-
ter Of a pound Of boiled beef, bread and cheese,
pint Of beer and a cigar, eTerything-I tasted
them myself-Of the very best quality. As 800
had been expected instead OF 500, the strongest
appetite could be satisfied. Supper ended. the
ladies' presented correspondence cards TO the
prisoners TO write tn their friends, with promise
that they should be safely forwarded either to
the French headquarters or directly from Brus-
sels. A greater number Of the French than was
expected, coud Ente; for those that could not,
the others acted II rendered the French ex-
tremeIy at their ease 10 be waited upon BY so
many pretty and elegant girls, who al anenty
spoke French. When the hdies came to
Tureo, they saluted him partly with /" .SaIezn
aIeiku11 aud the astouished reply, Aiefkuns
saieBl." was given with the hand on the heart.
The German soldiers who accompanied the pris-
oners enthusiastic with regard to the bravery
with which the French had fought. after the
Gaisberg had been stormed. They pointed out
fourteen men. belonging to the 18th regiment Of
the line, who we're the whole remainder Of the
regiment left standing on the battlefield, but who
refused to surrender, aud who, deprived Of ammu-
milton, kept on fgbtIng at the point Of the bay
ouet A the Prussiaus did not ike TO kin them.