The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-13
FOOD OF ENGLISH SOLDIERS.
Tommy atkins Takes Whatever
ZONES, and Thrives On II.

| Nesetarians claim that their diet ia
pest Tor the soldier on campaign. They
| point 10 the toilsome marches h., ~.
Niles swollen flood. and the crouri,,e,
victory of Omdurman. The Rri,,s,
soiuier' they say, ate little or no meat
LOOK al his achievements. then turn
| vegetarian. The logic sounds good
| put the argument is faulty. Roberts.
! great march-kabul TO Kandahar--wa,
done mostly on biscuits and bad vater
but thls is not diet TO be recommended
for it's staying powers.
Sergt. Smart late of the Seventv-seo-
ohd Highlanders. does sentry-go now 9,
coinmissionaires uniform at the hind.
ing o! the Bond streets-where the old
meets the new. Smart the name. smart
the man. He wears four medals but
seldom seen on one breast-the Afghan
WIN many clasps, and the Egvntiap y
ana the two stars, Kandahar and tho
Khedives.
When solder is on active service -
the sergeant said, "he gets that fit thar
II doesn't matter much what ba docs
eat And he doesn't care. From tba
tli'e we ieft kabul till we reached
handahar, we lived mostly on biscuit,
once or twice we had bully beef-thats
beer I'm tins; and there were two balts
OF "a day when the army bakers set I'm
their ovens and baked bread We didn't
feel the want of meat during thoss
three weeks. We marched. and wa
marched, and we were happy. Wa
were all so well.
Water we drank. 1t was bad-verv
oad sometimes. You don't drink it. but
Just rinse the mouth out. III Won tried
TO quench your thirst by swallowing
water, you would be as bloated as a
dead camel And still you'd be thirsty.
At the end OF the day there was a tot
OF rum Tor each man. We looked for
Ward 10 that rum. 1t wasn't much
more than a thimbleful, but Il was a
treat. and ii did freshen a man up a
Dit at the end of a long days march.
on battle days we wouldn't perhaps
.ouch bite of food all day. At Peiwar
Notal we started off long before IL was
light. We climbed those steep hills up
among the trees and after the fiphting
vas over. bivouacked on the ton of the
pass. j didn't eat anything all that
lay. There were rations in my haver-
,ack, but never thought of them. Nor
I'D seem to feel the want OF any grub.
on are In such training that you can
90 FOR hours without food
The soldier really doesn't mind much
Vhat he gets to eat when he's on active
erVice. Pea soup i'm tins is good stuff,
'ruit and vegetables, when you can
get them, which is not often is fine
let. So is beef, mutton and chicken,
he lighting man Is not particular
bout his food. Nor has he any craving
or beer and spirits. But he likes a
ut Of rum when it's time to turn in.
IS just n treat"
Higher up Bond street stands stall
art gunner. also I'm commissionaire's
inform. lie has the Afghan medal
nd the Hazara medal Sergt Mai.
iowse was for nine years a sergeant-
laJor i'm mountain battery I'm India.
10 bore out all that Seret. Smart had
lid.
Sergt Maj Rowse said he would have
ked more vegetables than he got Cab
ages and green peas don't bloom on
le Border hills. It's stiff. work climb
u them. In places it's much like go-
* UP the dome of 81. Peters on the
Inside. u had marched with his
lttery from Quetta to Rawal pindi
ven hundred miles as the crow flies
'er the country i'm the world. And
: took his rations as they came. and
dR,t-step- TO anaivze wfTat they We're
ade OF Spirits he never touched in
dia. He preferred water. Tea. cof-
9 and cocoa he. OF course crank when
could get them.
~ is absurd To argue the value Of any
et for soldiers ON campaign. with
em IL is the survival of the rttast
~ the httest are fit N only the wa
/ Us good. there is NO healthier orcu-
iion than marching and lighting bat.
3 hsr bullets and hayonets. sword,
ell,-Londcn Nails