The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-06
ST. MlFIIEL SEEN BY DAVIS THROUGH PEEPHOLE FAILS
 TO STIR UP ENTHUSIASM

cut holes as deep as rain barrels. Other shells were liable at any moment to gouge out more holes. Three days be- fore, when Prince Arthur of Connaught had come to tea, a shell hit outside the colonePs private cave and smashed all the teacups. It is extremely annoying when English royalty drops in socially to distribute medals and sip a cup of tea, to have German shells invite them selves to the party. It is a way Ger man shells have. They push in every where. One invited itself to my party and got within 10 feet oft. When complained, the colonel suggested ab- sently it probably was not a German shell but French mine that had gone off prem aturely. He seemed to think being hit by a French mine rather than by German shell made all the differ euce in the world. It nearly did.
 At the moment the colonel was greatly interested in the fact that one of his men was not carrying mask against gases. The colonel argued that the life of the man belonged to France, and that through laziness or indifference he had no right to risk los ing it. Until this war the colonel had commanded in Africa the regiment into which criminal are drafted a pun ishment. To keep them in hand re- quires both imagination and the direct methods of bucko mate on a wha1er. When the colonel was promoted to his present command he found the men did rot place much confidence in the gas masks so he filled a shelter with pol soned air, equipped a squad with pro- tectors and ordered them to enter They went without enthusiasm, but when they found they could move about with impunity the confidence of the en- tire command was gained.
 WARY OF GAS ATTACKS
 The colonel was very vigilant against these gas attacks. He had equipped the only shelter I have seen devoted solely to the preparation of defenses against them. We learned several new facts concerning this hideous form of warfare One was that the Germans now launch the gas most frequently at night when the men cannot see 1t ap proach, and, in consequence, before they can snap the masks into place, they are suffocated and in great az ony die.
 They have learned much about the gas, but chiefly by bitter experience Two hours after one of the attacks an officer seeking his field glasses de- scended into his shelter The gas that had flooded the trenches and then floated away still lurked in the abri And in moment the officer was dead. The warning was instantly flashed dlObo liiS tfeLCAco lIOlll tiiC 4Noi th Sch to Switzerland, and now after 8 gas raid the underground shelters are at tackled by counter irritants and the poison driven from ambush.
 I have never seen better discipline than obtained in that chalk quarry, or better spirit. There was not a single outside element to aid discipline, or to inspire morale. It had all to come from within. It had all to spring from the men themselves and from the eX- ample set by their officers. The en- emy fought against them, the clements fought against them, the place itself was as cheerful as crutch. The clay clung to their hands and hair. The rain chilled them, the wind, cold, damp and harsh, stabbed through their great coats. Their outlook was upon graves, their resting places dark caverns, at which even a wolf would look with suspicion. And yet they were all smil- ing, eager, alert In the whole com mand we saw not one sullen or wist full face.
 It is an old saying, "so the colonel, so the regiment"
 But the splendid spirit I saw on the heights of the Mouse is true not only of that colonel and of that regiment, but of the whole 300 miles of trenches and of all France.
 Copyright, 1916, by Richard Harding Davis.)