Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-20
TRACTION ENGINE.
IS THE LATEST
MACHINE OF WAR
Correspondent Writes of Adven-
lures of leviathan in North
ern France.
HOW THEY BEHAVE IN ACTION
Dozen Of Them In Danger In One
Fight, but intrepid Drivers Save
slx-0river Tells Interesting
Tales Of Experiences
In Action.

Fans.-l met 1t on the road from
Beauvais. II l had not been wide.
awake ! should have thought it was
only q nightmare. But it was broad
day. and I was speeding along at the
rate Of 30 miles an hour.
What could It be doing here-on a
road In the north Of France? II ever
there was anything British 1t was this
traction engine. The race was
stamped on every wheel, on the boil
er. On the fourmile-an-hour pace. on
the smutty face and dirty khaki of
the man who looked as though he
owned the landscape.
HALT"
A French soldier stood at the barri.
'cade. There was puzzled look on his
face. He was. I am sure, a brave
man. but how were rife and bayonet
to meet the charge Of a traction en-
CINE. The army regulations make
no provision for such an emergency.
l pulled up to watch the encounter.
The sentry approached with caution.
"Parlez-vous-be hanged. Can't you
see I'm English" exclaimed an indig.
nant voice from the pantechinicon that
dragged behind.
The sentry collapsed, and the DON
derous leviathan moved on.
"Hello!" What on earth are you
doing here?" I cried when we got
alongside.
The smutty face broadened and
beamed.
Good to hear English again. Why
don't these people learn to speak a
language people can understand"
Have q cigar?"
It was my last, but l knew It was
like the last train DO many war cor.
respondents have been catching: there
would be plenty more.
Here u 10 Again.
80 we parted like ships passing in
the night. and I never thought to see
the ichthyosaurus of the road again.
But here 1t is in Rouen, taking DOS
session of the square in front of the
beautiful little church of st. Maclou,
and here is my friend Of the un-
washed face. push my way through
the admiring crowd of soldiers and
civilians.
What are you doing here?"
waiting for repairs. Why, they
send these old coal beavers over here
can't say. but here we are, and we've |
got to make the best Of it."
How do you manage without an in
terpreter?"
There's where the blooming fun |
comes In. What are we to do with |
people who call their mother a mare |
md their father q pear? When we
want coal l have to take piece in my
land and argue with them for half an
hour. But I always get the coal.
But as for water! Good Lord! It's
,asier to get wan rooge,' which even
he kids In this country drink instead
" beer"
! thought was paying him a COM
,liment when / asked II he came
rom Scotland-for he had the accent
mo blooming fear. Dublin's my
country, though the blooming Ger
mans did think we would not fight
or the old country"
Il met you near Beauvais."
yes, we spent the night there"
why. the Germans were said to be
q the town."
Devil o wan Of them. We've been
boxing for them four days and nights.
'hey're lost. We've got a sergeant
rho always knows where they are,
ut he's not here Just now. What is
the folks say when you ask them
he wayf"
"Toutdroit." |,
Eyes, that's where the sergeant
links they always are. Whenever he