The sun., 1894-03-11
nrelrrrrs or slrnorr.
TSs severe Trsis,se sr tAs Frsash ch-s-
ssurs Aipius


They are delighted at the sound Of the GYM
balls, the sonorousnsss OF the eornet, the deem
tones OF the tromb bone. and the trllls OF the lit
tie Hute in the military bands They admire
the bright uniforms OF the oficers and the
flashing Of the bayonets: and nllsd with
ieverish chsuvinism. they keep step with the
dusty soldiers returning to their barracks si-
ter review.
But they know nothing whatever Of the mar
tisl air Of the Alpine infantry In their severe
dark blue costume. Those fortunate enough
to rurallze In the summer months In the val
leys Of Savoy. on the heights Of the Dsuphinisn
Alps, or. in the winter. at Cannes. Nice. or
Mentone, alone make an acquaintance with
that troupe deiite which guards our frontier
facing the Italians.
These battslions we're formed In 1887 By
Gen. Ferron. The men are dressed with q
heavy vest and tunic. and . great coat with
q hood or q cloak. according to the season.
Their legs are covered with bands OF cloth OF
q erayish blue color from the ankle to little
above the knee. The head is protected By q
Basque cap, and the spreading soles Of their
strong shoes are we'll furnished with nails.
They also have Neapolitsn laced shoes in ad
dition to their snowshoes Their knapssok
weighs twenty-eiRht kilogrammes and Is \
perfect bazaar. In which are packages OF
cartridges. boxes Of preserves, belts flannel
shirts, spare clothes. mercury, q tent with its
pickets. cooking utensils. and above all ap-
pears the crook OF an alpenstock. which the
soldier uses In climbing steep ascents. catch
ing the rocks or the roots that are embedded
In the sides Of the mountain. Add to this the
weight oithe gun. and you will foot up very
respectable load.
Each battalion OF chdss e,us a,pins 10 re-
enforced by a mountain battery and O section
OF the engineer CORDS belonging to the Four
teenth and Fifteenth battalions Of that branch
OF the service. which Is In garrison at Grenoble.
Guns and caissons are transported By mules.
and the picks and shovels look like steel
euirasses that sparkle In the sunlight
The drivers are robust fellows. who when
an accident happens to one OF their animals
never hesitate to pick up the pieces even from
the bottom OF rayine. They are remarkable
for their extraordinary strength. and ono OF
them. when his mules rolled into precipice
some days ago. went down after the gun. On
bringing It back to Gen. Desgarets. he pre-
sented arms to him with tho piece. Solid
bicepsl But they are almost oil. ss have
said. men OF extraordinary strength. Their
training 10 OF the severest kind. but nevertho-
less their recruiting 10 not exceptional. and
does not differ from that Of the regular line
The secret OF forming q tro Cd OF men OF this
Incompatible strength lies In the continuous
training which .hey undergo dymnasttie t.,,c. ea-
empty sack and sometlmes with full load.
over tho most rugged OF countries.
eIs. opening pathways and making roads:
OF srns and target practice. company. and
battalion drills. and In iepetitio%ns "a and rehear.
day and ,oi the nisht. know csss Of one
commander Of ehasseurs who received an or
S:I q ooGch T. the f Ssli. hs
rom where be was htS O'clock this battalion
SeddIn9, bed u ood and SOthins. iesvins the Sarr"cf
absolutely empty. one may imagine from
i which s0S F fi RsS
on vSG hnss al : S.
oeIoef In the the, s 5stTS dividing
But the. thing that i admired most. after
the splendid physical Appearance Of thoss offl-
% TSs @ Is perfect sftheas Ssin@ ssrsPs
indeed. Il 10 even friendly. The relations be-
DO not profess any eontenpt for their Italian
c; they Sss hsxs S irs s
mies will not be easy to sonaqer That Is the
that the italian chasseurs arc specially re. re.
cruited among the robust mountainesrs Ac-
70 all sRa
SSontIy Injured to tSe moss rapid changes
fho q EsTnsas and hT x. RSy. 'qRsfG
the chosen troops OF the Government OF
tese. @ and industrious! handy men. Tho ] genius
Of that 5 race INA wns Tsll proved y the Crpes
In which they we're perfectly sheltered. whiis
our soldiers were famishine and freezing
The mannuvres will com m ence In the month
Of June. and will not be ended until October. |
It Is during this period that our ,Alpines dis |
e An not 's' the scisati6s move movsmsnt Of masses asses
on the plains ike that o. chessmen: 1t is q |
ter marches. with engssements. amSuscaSes. |
asa great in.StS: .isS: sSv0a e S.
dierA Free squadrons orerate on their own |
rseonnoItrine the ground and |
military movement, One can see those dark |
noeE: aGGsP coysa o the sSes: %
S SRS %se' fss:' ..s .s'F ssssG
summit while the greater portion Of the troop |
q 20 az s IN order
an alarm and the waste of cartridges, which |
are difiicult 70 replace in these out oi-the-way
the cold steel as much as possible. the oppor-
tunity for which, Is favored in these rugged
face 10 face. Sometimes yolleys are necessary
when In the presence OF superior forces. to
create the i'm sion that their numbers are
greater than they really are.
Witnessed several OF their operations and,
among others ono night combat in the month
Of MAY last. The order was given IN the day
to put four eompanies in action. Two were to
occupy Castelar, a village not far from Men
tone and the other two were to carry that Inn
portant position. CASTELAR, Is situated Iika an
Arabian strongho upon a height. forming q
pyramid carpeted with woods OF olive treea
and carob trees From this summit down to ths
sea Is a steep mountain separating the valley
Of Mentone 9 from the valley OF CarreL
The defenders. with their outposts. occupied
the decliyitIes upon which In zigZag lines are
he routes Of the Valley oi Mentono and thoSs %
The Valley of CArre1. which are only mule
paths and passes used by goats and shepherds.
The AssailRnts sent few men. furnished with
lanterns and making great noise. uPon tho
main road. furious nrs was oIensd uPon
hem hut at the same moment the muSe OF the
roop slipped along throu gh the path ways OF the
valleys OF CaIretin Indian hlo and dshouched
suddenly behind the defenders, The fusilada
-attled at close quarters. and NJ tho cry Of
Fix bayonetsP the position was CAPTURED.
Nothing can be more exciting than these noe
urnRl battles in which eoo!ness and cunning
superior forces. and In which the
men are trained to act according 70 their indi-