The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-10-27
ARMY OF INDIA
IN SHOWER OF ROSES
Remarkable Scene OF Enthusiasm A
Fighters Are Welcomed at Mar
lit

l<OnOOH pom In New York
Herald.
The censor having at last permit
ted publication, Douglas Crawford.
the Daily Chronicles correspondent
at Marseille. telegTaphs this interest
troops in France
With u~ndiSguised delight flashing
from their eyes as of burning coal
the Indian troops LANDED here. From
the little Gurkha and his winning
smile, through the ranks Of Bengal
Lancers. the P%unjabi and the Balu-
chi. to the giant Sikh. they were mag
nlflcent specimens OF martial han
hood. Everyone was vyino wit, his
King and Emperor and his allies.
Let us put the doubters right. Not
an Indian has set foot in France but
realizes the reasons for the greatest
war Of all time. and the motto OF
these troops now, as a thousand years
ago, is Death
In almost as short space of timo
as it takes to tell the decks OF the
ships of the fleet were alive with SOL
diers, and in a few hours the trying
work of Decentralization was com
the troops, who literally leaped
ashore, fighting men to the last
unce. They were hard and fit, ready
to go straight from. the quay to the
fighting line. Not a few Of the Sikhs
(lithe b~lack-bearded giants were
deeply concerned to know if / tn lght
the war would be over before they
would get at grips with the enemy.
Never has the port Of Marseille
witnessed a scene so Kaleidoscope az
that presented by the defling of the
thousands after thousands of soldiers
down the seemingly numberless gang
ways along the quays lit up by the
brillian sunshine.
Here were Sikhs, there sturdy lit
tie Gurkhas-the finest infantry in
the world; the darker Hindoo with a
merry smile lurking in his distinctly
Monaghan eyes They at once cap-
tured the hearts Of the French sol.
dlers. A wondering crowd warmly
shook hands with the Ghurkas and
wished them the best Of luck in the
exercise of their prowess against the
Germans. Further removed were the
Wariike Baluchis, while at another
quay the Punjabis were busil., en-.
gagged in grooming their mounts.
All the troops were in khagi, with
a green or white interviewer band in
their headdress to distinguish one
caste from the other. The truban. Of
course, is worn by all indoo and
MuSSulmans.
"The white officers in command
are the highest type Of soldier, drawn
from the best families of Great
britain. In them the men have i'm
plicit faith. One important fact that
must not be lost sight of is that his
great expeditionary force from the
Orient to the Occident isn't only an
army in name, but an army in being.
thoroughly trained according to tho
most modern ideas and equipped with
all the first class machinery of war.
.Everything has been brought from
!ndla- Cannon rifles, ~intrenching
implements, sleeping rugs tents and
a hundred and one necessaries of tho
Indian Army, down to the praying
mat.
The scene here at noon hen tho
troops marched through to the diff
1erent camping grounds was one not
20 De forgotten Every man. woman
ana child in Marseilles turned out.
Inc numbers were swelled By leople,
from the surrounding C Intry dis
trlcts. The streets were seething
masses of highly excited humanity.
Inc excitement of the highstrung
Latlns rapidly spread to h Indians.
s sno ~ vas a unique experience to
see hundreds of martial warriors,
from bearded men whose hair was
Snot With gray, to beardless yorths.
Jump a yard high for sheer joy.
Ihe officers looked on witt. lenient
eyes. Old women fought with men
Tor the honor OF shaking hands with
rhe ronze soldiers, whom hey i'm
partially named 'Anglais' and Hin
uouS. foung women and girls
lhTe" sWeet-smelling flowers in their
path. pinned pink roses on their
tunlcs and %turbans. and even stuck
.nem into the Indians long hair. In
response dark Eastern eyes beamed
great content, and rows of marvel
ously White teeth flashed from laugh
ing lips.
The enthusiasm of n populace
became ecStacy when a band Of
sWarthy Gurkhas struck I'D the Mar
sellalse' and played it enchantingly
on a weird collection of goardlike in
struments.
by evening all were encamped in
picturesque parks with rocky helghts.
reH1lnlscent OF their PARKWAY hills,
around them, and in the moonlight
the people Of Marseiiies stood on all
adjacent roads WafchipO with ,pna1-