Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-22
SOLDIERS OF FRANCE-I1OW
THEY ARE WINNING HONORS
BY PAUL SCOTT MOwRER.
With the French Armies.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOwRER.
With the French Armies.
Although it occurred long ago. in the
strange wild days of August. 1914. this
story, so far as am aware. has never
; been told before.
On August % the Germans were pre-
parting to cross the Mouse in Belgium.
just above the French frontier, and the
French. with what scant electives they
could assemble, were marching to pre-
vent them. The 327th detached two
companies to assist in this operation
The 18th company reached the little
$50 in the morning. The bridge had
been blown up. but the Germans were
present in force on the opposite side,
where the wooded banks sloped steep
ly down almost to the waters edge.
The French captain disposed his lit
tie command as best he could. About
100 yards above the ruined bridge there
was dangerous point where the river.
though forty yards wide. was not,
thanks to a depression on the farther
side very difficult to cross. At this
point, along the railway track at the
top of an abrupt elevation overlooking
the river, half platoon was placed in
command of Sergt. Rene Georges.
The morning sun shone brightly on
the water Somewhere in the woods a
German battery was in position and
shells were bursting here and there
along the French line. Georges posted
HIS men. behind the railway embank-
ment and himself craw1ed up between
the tracks, where he could watch the
silent foliage of the opposite shore. He
was pretty well exhausted with march
| ing. In the three confused weeks
which had elapsed since the mobiliza>
| tion the company had done nothing but
march. and 1t was with difficulty that
the footsore sergeant had been able
that morning to keep up with the COM
tpany. But Georges. as 1t happened. was
an international rife champion. He lay
on the railway track. his rife resting
over one steel rail. and listened nerv-
| ously to the bursting shells, now far
AWAY, now near.
Figures in Gray Appear.
| About am. three figures in gray
/ broke suddenly from the trees on the
opposite shore and secuted down to-
ward the water. Georges nervousness
| was gone. He dropped his cheek to
his rife and pulled the trigger. One
| German fell. The two others splashed
straight into the river, waded out and
/ started to swim, for they were not
alone. Others appeared here and there,
and in turn skulked toward the river.
/ while a raw volIey of bullets from in
visible riflemen Kissed over the heads
| of the French.
Georges men replied excitedly, but he
/ foremost swimmer. fred, missed by a
/ couple of inches. fired again, saw the
| German disappear under the water a
moment. then go floating away on the
| current. corpse.
| Meanwhile some thirty Germans more.
! in scattered skirmish line. had entered
| or were entering the river, in what APP
Deared to be determined effort to
i force a passage, while their comrades
/ in the woods covered them with desul-
tory yolleys.
| Seeing that the aim of his men was
nervous and ineffective. Georges or
dered half dozen of them to gather
| behind him and reload for him. Then.
] single-handed, he opened rapid and
/ terrible fire on the swimming Germans
| Around the bobbing black dots of their
heads thin white jets of water feaped
| up. He caught the nearest one just as
he was leaving the water. The others
| he caught in mfdstream. Presently
/, four had gone floating away down, red
/ dening the current with their blood.
The others. seeing bullet after bullet
. y .
hesitated, dived, hesitated and turned
back. One sank. One fell in the shall
| lows. Two were hit as they scram-
bled up the bank. Their bodies rolled
pose better shooting has not been seen
! in all the stretch OF the war
/ Germans Make Another Start.
But the Germans had not given up.
They let an hour and a half go by,
then. hundred yards farther up
| stream. ten of them slipped down
through the bushes and saplings. and
had entered tho river before a shot
could be fired. Georges shifted his
FELLOW rest. aimed, and emptied the
magazine of his rifle; was handed an
other. and emptied it also. One German
seemed to be hit. The others not only
persevered. but progressed. On the left
OF the French shell burst, covering
Georges with gravel
| stay where You are" he shouted to
| the men behind him. Hand me another
| gnn."
| He realized the danger. II a handful
of those resolute swimmers could reach
| the shelter of the nearer bank, they
could help to cover the crossing of
others. Little by little, the defenders,
all too few, would be driven back. So
| once more he began firing. this time
with such accuracy that he soon had
the satisfaction of seeing two bodies
come bobbing down past The remain
ing seven Germans. who were now
being peppered also by a group of
French who had moved farther up,
turned back and regained the bank in
safety.
Georges was elated 'They won't try
here again. he said. They will go still
farther up.
He led his squs some seventy-nve
yards farther aionk the track, and
once more they lay down behind the
embankment. It was we'll they had
moved. for no sooner had they become
they 'espied a cove. half hidden In;
sshrubberyA and here four Germans