The Washington herald., 1914-10-02
indians TO AID
TOMMY atkins
Hindu Hosts Cheered by the
French as They Land at
Marseilles.
WAITED LONG FOR THEM
Bade Welcome by Gen. Watkins
Upon Debarking at 0uays
:. Of the City.
WAITED LONG FOR THEM
ny MALCOLM MAC cAskILL.

| ESPECIAL Correspondent Of The Washington Herald
and London Daily TeieuIph.)
MarseiIles, Oct. This is to tell you.
in the censor's good time. which will be
when they are on the firing line. how
Marsellles waited for the Indians, and
how, in the end. they came.
When 1 left England 1 was assured
should reach here only after the last
man OF them had been hurried to the
front, but a week after / arrived here
we were still waiting and looking more
eagerly every day to see Les Hin
docs" begin to pass.
Saw All Except Indians.
We saw everything else. We saw
"Tommies'' and 'Turcos' fraternizing
with broad and friendly grins. We saw
''simpless soldats" by the dozen score at
the cafe tables along the Course Belsuna
and down the Cannebiere; we saw the
Senegaless marching through the streets
by the hundreds OF thousands: we saw
British naval officers, magnificent in their
physique, wearing the trim dark-blue
coat and brass buttons, white capped;
We saw officers OF the French navy; we
saw OTbkOOnS Win CdsQue ana CTlHleTt
and dragons in field uniform without
either; we saw hussars in sky-blue and
hussars in the darker blue tunlc OF serv-
ice: We saw officers of the line OF the
artillery with a red band running down
their trousers: we saw all grades Of
French military medical men. with the
velvet in their caps that marks their
state: We saw French sailors with red
'toori;" we saw Italian volontaires set
ting of for Montelimar. playing The
Marseillaise' and the Italian national air.
with a big Garibsldan in big red shirt
and a little GaribaIdian in a little red
shirt at their head.
All these things We saw, and the
others, but never the Indians.
At Inst They Come.
I looked for them each morning from
the high places and one morning
mounted the high bridge Of steel which
crosses the NieuX port and from its
height I saw far below the housetops
Of that extraordinary quarter. with its
incredible buildings. that tower above
its streets of incredible narrowness medi-
eval Marseilles. that must Il suppose,
soon pass.
At last. one morning they really did
come.
! was watching before dawn. II was
not yet day when the first line came
around. Across the seas not yet turned
to blue they stretched farther and wider.
They stirred as they came more than the
waters in which they moved. As they
came nearer We could make out their
movements on the decks OF one or two
Of the boats. At most parts the decks
seems 10 he deserted. Preparations for
debarkation were already proceeding. or
else revielle has not yet been sounded,
but on two OF the vessels, huddled to-
gether under awnings. stretched TO
shelter the troops from the heat. there
were veritable forests OF forms moving
Preach Cheer Them.
They came 10 the ships side and looked
toward land. In the brown host We
made out. above the turbans and the
dark faces. a British flag.
The ships were picking up pilots one
by one, and cane sailing in.
As the ships turned to enter the har-
Dor there were cries OF "Vive LAngele-
teere," and Went les Hindoos," to
which the far travellers added their lust
lest Heap. heap hurrahs"'
The orderly transports passed in. TAX
ing their appointed places at the quays.
where Gen. Watkins received them and
babe them welcome.
Then debarkation began. There were
grIZzled veterans, sturdy, square-shoul-
dered. and tall and smOoth-faced youths
with the demeanor of princes.
Women Blow Them Kisses.
All along the line. as the smiling war
riors came, they awoke salvos and cheers
and women in the balconies blew kisses
and waved their handkerchiefs at them.
] called them smiling warriors. but that
is not the word. Their faces are eX-
banded in delight. Their dark skin gleam-
ed and their white teeth flashed
The first line of the crowd could touch
them as they passed. and dozens OF peo-
pie stretched forward TO give les Hin
dooes'' a good ''poignee de main" The
Hindoos, undaunted, indeed, gave a bet-I
ter ''poiGnes de main" than they got In
the excitement they forgot to use their
giant strength. though some of the giants
shook hands, not wisely, but too well
and here and there a citizen of Marseilles
was seen looking at his limp hand won
deringly.
Thomas Atkins was touched by theI
reception. The physique OF the IndiansI
impressed the people OF Marseilles. Thel
English soldiers physique was strangely
in contrast with that Of the Hindoo, but