The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-19
Army Slang for the Big French Sol
diers Who Watch over the
Headquarters Of
General.
LOCATED AT A SCHOOL
sarraiI 10 an Early Riser. and Has
Full Charge Of the French
Forces In the
Balkans.
by William o. Shepherd, United
Praas STAR Corresnnndant ! -.

1 Press Staff Correspondent
/ SALONIKA, Nov. 5. (By mail)-
Huge, hairy French "poilus"-( French
army slang for bear s'D-stand
with rifles at the entrance to the build
ling In Salonfka where General Sar-
rail holds forth.
General SarraiI Is French. He has
supreme command over all the allied
forces in the Balkans, except those of
1.-THE Servians. Even the British are
under him, though the British are
commanded by no less person than
General Bryan Mahon, known among
army men the world over as "The
Mahmout"
| You'd expect to see signs of circum-
stance and pomp about General Sar-
rails headquarters, but through the
j"poilu'' guarded portals you hear the
laughter of small boys.
AS you pass through the doorway,
you look into a patio beyond and dis
cover that the place is full Of boys
French boys kicking football. play
ting tag, laughing, wrestling, boxing
and cutting up like boys at recess time.
It dawns upon you slowly that this
!! is really a school house and it al
ready is recess time and that these
French boys, within the last month,
have passed through the wonderful ex-
lperience Of having generals head
quarters moved into their school house
generals, guards, hor.ss, horns,
drums and all.
The novelty Of 1t has passed by this
time and playing football has again
become the chief fun. In fact the
soldiers sometimes get in the way OF
the football games at recess time and
have to be shooed away.
OF all the good and impromptu army
headquarters I have seen in this war,
the headquarters of General Sarrail at
Salonfl1a affords the greatest con-
trast in wartime scenes and is the
most interesting
The school Is owned and conducted
by the French colony and 1t Is part
of General Sarrail's daily routine TO
take a long look at the playground
during recess time.
When General Sarrail received me,
school had not begun. Several school
bows. early Corners, were romping
around the patio and pretty French
xirl. a school teacher, was laughing
with them.
"CIick," went the heels of French
sentinel as approached the generals
Office. I was shown into what might
have been the principals office, where
a tall, pleasant-faced man awaited me.
'T have an appointment with Gen
eral Sarrail,"sI said.
81 am General Sarrail."
7 was confused, for all the pictures
I had seen Of the French general
showed him heavily bearded; perhaps
the most heavily bearded leader in
the French army. This general was
smooth-shaved, except for graceful,
curling iron grey mustache. II us IN
teresting war news, I've got a scoop:
General Sarrail has cut of his beard
French generals do not give out In
terviews General Sarrail didn't. he
talked hopefully Of what the allies in
tended to accomplish in the Balkans.
Things weren't going any too well in
Serbia, but you couldn't depend on
the news which came from there. 1t
would be best to wait and see what
effect the ally movement would have
against Bulgaria.
Already the allies had made several
successful moves against the Bull
garians, but there was more work to
do.
He would help correspondents all
he could to get the proper sort OF
news from the Balkans. The Salonika
weather was delightful; very differ
emit from the weather in Flanders,
which was always cold and wet in
November. But Balkan winter wealth |
er could be nasty.
The school bell rang while we were
talking. It was in the morning. We
took the bell as q signal for ending |
the visit.
AS went out saw General Sar-
rail pass from the school house be-
tween two lines of guards and CLIMB |
into an automobile for dash to the
French camp in the Salonika suburbs.
On the way to his car the general
made an engagement with an Ameri-
can newspaper sketch artist to sit Tor
his picture at 8 o'clock the next moro
ing. much to the artists discomfort.
General Sarrail Is. perhaps, the
earliest rising general in the French
army.
T.