The chronicle=news., 1914-12-03

fighting from the ground, under any
cover he can find" he said, creep
ing through thickets, hiding in
bitches, behind hedges and every
spot that is likely to conceal him
from the enemy. Naturally the same
cover hides him from the view of
the stretcher bearers picking up the
wounded after the battle.
This duty is further complicated
by the fact that it must be done at
night, as the intensity of fire makes
it impossible to pick up wounded on
the field during an engagement. In
this work OF seeking the wounded at
might the ambulance dog. becomes
Indispensable, since lights are for
biddeu to the stretcher bearers for
fear of exposing positions to the
lenemy: consequently the salvation of
hundreds of wounded soldiers de
pends upon the sharp scent. intelli-
gence and devotion Of the ambulance
dog
The French ambulance dog Is
the French shepherd, an animal
which is proven to be far better
adapted to the work than the Ger
man shepherd dog formerly employ
ed in the French army because the
German dog is more ferocious and
is taught to fight the enemy rs we'll
as TO discover the wounded of his
own troops. The French dog is
Taught to seek the wounded of the
enemy's troops as well as his own.
He is as gentle as he is faithful. and
as In the ease of Tom, is the pct
of mis- company"
The case of Tom" is this:
CASTOR Durand of the Fiflieth in
fantry fell IN one of the violent en-
gagements in the Argonne forest
wounded IN the arm by a fragment
of shell. with Il bullet in his jaw
and nearly scalpcd by a blow from a
sabre He tried to rise. hut Il heavy
weight fell upon him and he lost
consciousness. The first thing he
became aware of was feeling that
rcsemhled a caress upon his fore
bead. He opened his eyes and there
was Tom, one of the ambulance
dogs. affectionaioly tapping mis- torn
'
weight that had borue him down
was still there. 1t was the body oi
one OF his comrades who had fallen
with bullet through his heart
impossible to cXtricate himself Ii,
finally succeeded in getting to a sit
) ting posture. His cap was gone ant
that explained why Tom had moi
la, to h,it f,r ,nI n
Durand looked. and Tom scar,hc,
: but no cap was to be found. "Go
iTom. and fetch the comrades" Du
,rand cried half hour later Ton
went into camp aud seizing th'
, first soldiers coat in his teeth. baga,
Itugping Mt him. The soldier did no
understand Then Tom barhed ar
pealingly but with no more effect
& Finally he oarked menacingIy, will
r ro result Then the doctor cam
!. along He understood and Tom aav'
| a yelp of JOY when he realized tha
e he had succeeded. Directed by hin
= the doctor and the stretrhcr bear or.
: soon found Duranh. hidden in (;
4 thicket. where probably he woult
,havc passed unnoticcd untii he hat
either starved or died from hi
. wounds. had II net been for Tom
They lifted the dead man Off car
q ried Durard back TO the ambulance
and Notwithstanding the gravity oi
his three wounds. he is now mend
ing. all thanks TO Tom.
Toms is not an isolated incident
OF the devotion OF the ambulanc,
dog \ case is reported from TIL,
)IyiCinity of Ncrdun in which a dos
discovered soldier who had beer
! wounded in the head and who had
\ received first aid from one of his
Il comrades, who afterwards had been
Obliged to abandon him. His cal
Ihad also been lost and the dog couid
find nothing that he could carry
. lbaCk to the ambulance to report hi
find. but he mad the Intelligence not
! TO touch tile bandage on the sol.
Idier's head. Finally, despairing ol
finding anything Ii" could carry
! back. he lay down on the ground
opposite the wounded man and howl
ed dismally until help came.
Dr. Ncrticr, surgeon in the Thir'
teenth army corps, reports that the
Ambulance dogs ia his corps have
! saved hundreds OF lives and that not
in single instance have they mis-
/ taken h dead body for wounded
1 Imam. In some cases where the sol
diers cap could not be found, the
: dog has torn open his knapsac't and
J hunted out something that he could
4 carry back to show that he nad made
a discovery.
The National Society for the
Training of Ambulance Dogs has al