The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-23
Count de Beaufort Describes
Trip Along the Battle Line
in West Flanders.
HIGH PRAISE FOR BELGIANS
Courteous and Hospltable and viii Do
Anything for the Engllsh-com-
fort In the Trenches-Germans
Reply in Kind to Belgian
Fire.
BY COUNT M. DE BEAUFORT.


Belgium.-A Belgian officer return
ing with his men from a week in the
trenches along the User was asked Dy
n Of his colleagues, whom he met
on the road from Newport to Furnes
how things were going in front. ooh"
he replied, "all right, but 1t isn't ex.
actly a picnic, you know" That is ex-
actly the answer l felt like giving
today when / returned from a few
days gypsying in West Flanders. 1t
is difficult to know where to start In
relating my impressions. 1t seems as
If for four days l have sat in a huge
moving picture theater and watched
one film after another being reeled off,
at the same time listening to an ex-
tremely eloquent lecturer.
How and why | was able to wander
from village to trench, and from
trench to village, or whatever is left
of them, is a story which, perhaps,
with many others, will be told later
after the war. They are a courteous,
open-hearted, hospitable lot, these Bel
gians, and anybody who Seems to be
English, either in appearance or &C
cent. can have anything they W
"Ah, England" I hear from all sides,
why they have certainly stood by us
Les Anglais sons, chic" ("chic" in this
sense of the word refers to character,
not to appearance).
The most interesting place in the
line along the User these days has
been the village of Styuvekenskerke.
It lies on the left bank of the User.
The main road from DiXmude to Per
vyse runs about half a mile to the
west of it, and the railroad about an
other half mile farther. Both lines
are held by the Belgians. On Tuesday
morning some of our advanced patrols
ventured close to the village, and not
Germans had retired to the other side
of the river. Promptly the village was
"retaken' by the B~elgians. But of
what use is a practically RACED village
anyhow? 1t would have taken a great
number of extra men to guard it at
night against surprise attacks, so the
officer in charge retired at sunset into
his W lines along the railroad.
Enjoy Temporary Armistice.
On Wednesday morning the Ger
mans were occupying the village again
for the day, but this afternoon the
there but for the sudden interruption
OF business of the only patisserie. The
English sign, Tea served at all hours"
was still intact. We took it down, and
and now it is heading the entrance
to one of the sleeping trenches a mile
back. At certain points around this
village the advance lines are not fur
Their than 1900 feet from each other.
and l have seen soldiers on both sides
walk about unconcerned without a
shot being fred on either side. But
in the distance, one hears from time
to time the roar of the guns.
My wanderings landed me near a
lonely Belgian field gun, one of the
"75's," in the neighborhood of Per.
vyse. l knew the officer in charge.
and was promptly invited to stay, and
take pot luck, an invitation which,
needless to say, I accepted. Somehow
one seems to be always hungry, yet
one eats more and oftener than at
any other time. His underground
dwelling had been made quite habit
able. He insisted that l should take
the "fauteuil" in the shape of the only
soaphon present, while he balanced
himself on a one-legged piano stool.
Our meal was simple enough, but
plentiful. Dry biscuits, sardines, ap-
pies and cold coffee. Fires of any
sort, either inside or outside, are strict.
ly forbidden in the lines. A smoking
chimney is asking for shrapnel. Quite
an amusing incident took place here.
The lieutenant told me during lunch
o that every time he fired a shot,
the Germans answered him in kind; II
he sent a s%hrapnel, they promptly
sent a shrapnel back; when he fired
a shell, a shell whistled back. After
luncheon he illustrated his story, and
indeed the Germans seemed tn be 10
a joking mood. He fired a shrapnel
and a shell in turn; a few minutes
later a shrapnel and a shell whistled
back over our heads.
l asked for the c~ommandant, and
expected to find him also in one of the
underground dwellings, but / was
directed to n of the houses on the
outskirts OF the village. His. offices
there?" l asked. looking at the remains
Of what had been a little villa. Ger
tainiy. monsieur. Follow me-" said the
little soldier.
Ruins Everywhere.
On all sides we were surrounded by
blackened bricks and burnt wood, fall.
EN- walls, and broken furniture. Finally.
we arrived near a cellar door and the
mystery was soon solved. The COM
mandant met me with all the cere.