Evening star., 1896-01-04

Dog Trained for Military Service.
anybody has entirely solved it-unless 1t be
this master of military science, Jacques,
who, to my mind had better concern him.
self with his bandages.'
"Wel'' said l, suppose some summer
day balloon came sailing along and drop
ped few torpedoes of dynamite or melen-
lite into those barracks over there
1.-THE noise would be great" said Jacques,
land the patrol there on the bridge would
be frightened"
Nonsense said De k, 'it is a pos
sihle thing; but really believe that before
she came in sight of Montmedy We should
riddle her with bullets or blow her to pieces
with machine guns before she did any
harm"
But If she came by night?'
That would be a misfortune for us"
said De x. quietly. Still you notice
that our search lights are busy among the
clouds, even in time Of peace"
The view from the north rampant was
not at all like that from the south, for now
at our feet roads. bordered by white stucco
walls. cut in and out among fruit gardens
and wooded slopes. From somewhere,
miles beyond the horizon, came the dull
booming of cannon. On hill to the west
something glowed In the sun; it might
have been battery. Everywhere below
us troops were in notion the red of their
trousers staining the green landscape like
blotches of blood. Jacques called my at
tention to some soldiers mounted on BIZ
cycles. They were spinning alorg the road,
leaving trail Of white dust behind. Sud-
denly, while we were looking, cloud of
chasseurs-a-cheval burst from q wooded
slope to the east. Half dozen of them
trotted down the slope. but, being blocked
by the wall. began capering about in great
agitation. Then the officer pulled up sharp,
the troopers sprang to the ground. and two
of them clambered upon the wall, unslung
their carbines. and began popping away at
the bicyclists. who were evidently thrown
into confuS. on by this maneuver. One of
them. however, keeping on. but close be-
meath the overhang ng bank. slipped under
the blue-jacketed chasseurs and escaped
The others were considered hors-de-com-
bat by the rules of their game of war, and
dtsmounted sulkily enough.
You ought to make a sketch Of that"
said Jacques. =s..,.s-- -s- -....ss
Shall I put spiked helmets on the cy-
clists to make 1t more interesting?' I re-
piled. ~ = - -,
1t was curious to see that pensive ex-
preston steal over his face as I spoke.
He see med silently interrogating the clouds,
as though they were those storm clouds
which have so long brooded over the from
tier. black, fnenacing. sitting in their
depths, the thunder Of which one day will
shake the world -... .'t'.,.s -
"A few years ago." 1 ventured, mo .one
thought that cavalry would one day have
to contend with cyclists"
Cyclists" said Jacques, "are not in
tended to take the place Of cavalry. They
do entirely differe~t work-or the same
work differently. The prime object Of cav
airy is to charge. We have today seventy
seven regiments of cavalry of the first line
ard one hundred and forty-eight squad
rons or thirty-seven regiments, of the Sec
ond line. What is the particular power and
function of this force? To charge. Cyclists
can't charge. They are really only mounted
infantry The bicycle Is merely conve-
nient means of locomotion. But it eats
nothing. is never sick. moves with speed
and silence and costs little. For scouting.
and means Of communication it surpasses
cavalry. A corps of cyclist infantry NOV
Ing as skirmishers can repel cavalry by
disroounting and forming the Zereba, with
cycles testing on handles and saddles, and
wheels kept spinning. No horses can
eharge that Should the Zereba. however,
have to stand a concentrated carbine fire
or a few shots from a machine gun, the
cyclists who got Off unscathed would have
to do 20 on foot. AS for equipment a cycle
can carry everything necessary, even the
carbine, although we have not yet decided
that point. Those fellows below US that
the chasseurs were after are merely dis
patch carriers. One got away. you noticed.
But with the new field telephone. staff off,
GERS and orderlies will have little to do in
carrying messages
I settled myself down on the grassy
rampant to listen:
Perhaps you have not heard about it."
he continued, but it is due to your clever
American officers that It has been brought
to Its present perfection. In Egypt Sir
Carr ct Wolseley used 1t in almost every
ergagerent, and kept himself and staff in
communication with the front. / think it
worked with great success at Tel-eE- X ebir
You see. heretofore 1t has been impossible
for commanding officer to obtain rapid
constant, reliable information from the
frt mt, or yet to transmit his orders unless
oy signals or mounted orderlies Signals
may be read by the enemy: orderlies may
be killed or captured. The field telegraph
Is not infal]ible. A shell may annihilate
instruments and men. Battles of the fu-
ture will be short and decisive, and 1t Is
of the most vital Importance that communi-
cation should be instant and reliable be-
tween outposts an6 Headquarters. between
detachments and the main body. 1 under
stand that it is Capt. Kilbourne Of your
signal corps who has given you an almost
perfect field telephone cart. 1t is merely
vehicle mounted upon light steel wheels
bound with cushion tires, and carrying
from two to six reels of cable each mount
ed On insulated brackets. The width of
YOUR machine is only twenty-six inches,
but I can predict. I think. that ours will
he larger. The vehicle. with the cable
reels, weighs between 100 and 100 pounds,
The reels may be emptied, detached, and
eW ones mounted, go you see the length
OF the cable is not limited. In connection
with the cart, leather cases held by shoul-
der straps and containing telephone kits.
are used. The kits contain the battery,
induction coil and combined long-distance
tIeHSInltter ana receiving attachments.
The cart can easily be drawn by q man, or
shafts may be attached and horses used.
There Is no difficulty in keeping up COM
mrnication during unreeling or reel;nR. I
have been thinking" he continued, quietly.
that some such vehicle could be applied
to my own corps. AS light, quick-movfng
hand ambulance it might be Invaluable.
He Lad risen while speaking, and arm in
arm we sauntered down the path, shaded
by scented thickets and guarded by fiower-
embowered cannon. We spoke of ambu-
lepce improvements, and referred to the
then recent organization In Paris Of the
American municipal ambulance system. AS
we finished our descent and turned into the
road, De X Of the artillery, followed
by a bull terrier, saluted us. leaned down
and patted the dog, which received the
caresses with dignified appreciation.
His name is Bibi," said jacques: "he's
one Of our messengers."
I had heard Of the messenger dogs in
use on the frontier, but had lima agined them
to be greyhounds.
'Oh, We take all kinds of dogs" said
De X, noticing my surprise. ..Bibi
there IL one of our best scouts. You can
never tell what a dog may develop in
training for frontier service A black
PC odle, Soeur Anne and a sta9hound
named Loup Garou.' are among our crack