The Washington herald., 1917-08-27
Jeffery Farnol Describes
Final Training of Tom mics
Novelist Makes Visit to Camp Somewhere in
England" and Observes Last Part of
Soldiers War Course
CFrum E.erybody's Masa1ineJ


ia the training that leads to the trenches. Per
haps already In this veu camp some Of our
oEn boys going through sneh ruling tesss
Ls Mr.. Farncl Voluntarily undertook step D.
step be went through them kll-ran through
poison gas: weps IN the singing vapor Of the
s-iachrynatory.' chcksd IN the smoke from
Hquid-nre bomhs- This brilliant English nov
elist Is well known to American readers-they
peed not be told that Mr.. Farnol recoants his
experiences with force and Tividnex--The Edi-
tors
The great training-camp lay. rain
lashed wilderness of windy levels and
bleak. sandy hills. range upon range.
far as the eye could see, with never a
living thing to break the monotony.
But presently. as our car lurched and
splashed upon its way. there rose
sound that grew and grew. the awe
some sound OF countless marching
feet.
On they came, these marching men,
until we could see them by the hum
dred. by the thousand. their serried
ranks stretching away and away un-
til they were lost in distance. Scots
were here. Lowland and Highland;
English and Irish were here. with
bronzed New Zealanders. adventurous
Canadians. and hardy Australians;
men. these. who had come joyfully
across half the world to fight. and.
II need be. DIE for those ideals which
have made the Empire the greatest
and mightiest this world has ever
known.
Tramp of Marching Men.
And as 1 listened to the rhythpic
tramp Of these countless feet, it SEEM
ed like the voice of this vast En-
pirs proclaiming to the world that
wrong and injustice must cease among
the nations; that man, after all, de-
spite all the frightfulness that warped
intelligence may conceive. Is yet
faithful to the highest in him. faith
full to that deathless. purposeful de-
termination that right shall endure,
the abiding belief of which has
brought him up through the ages.
through blood and misery and shame,
on his progress ever upward
So, while these men Of the Empire
tramped past through binding rain
and wind. our car pulled up before
row OF low-lying wooden buildings
whence presently issued a tall man
in rain-sodjen trench cap and bur-
berry who looked at me with a pair
Of very dark. bright eyes and gripped
my hand in hearty clasp.
He was Apologize because of the
rain, since, as he informed me, he had
Just ordered all men to their quarters,
and thus 1 should see nothing doing
in the training line; nevertheless he
cheerfully offered to show me over
the camp, despite mud and wind and
rain, and to explain things as fully
as he could; whereupon 1 as cheer
fully accepted
The wind wnistled about US. the rain
pelted US. but the major needed 1t
rothing-neither did I-while k
loudly congratulated himself on hav-
ing come in waders and waterproof
hat as. through mud and mire,
through puddles and clogging sand,
we followed the majors long boots.
crossing bare plateaus, climbing pre-
cipitous slopes, leaping trenches. slip
ping and stumbling And ever the
major talked; wherefore 1 needed not
wind or rain. for the major talked
we'll
He descanted on the new and hor-
ribly vicious methods of bayonet
fiShting-the quick thrust and lightning
recover; struggling with me upon a
sandy. rain-swept height, he showed
me how. in wrestling for your oppo-
nent's rife. the bayonet is the thing.
He halted US before devilish contri-
vances of barbed wire. each different
from the other, but each just as ugly.
He made US peep through loop-holes
each and every one different from the
other. yet each and every one skiifully
hidden from an enemy's observation.
We stood beside trenches of every
shape and kind while he pointed out
their good and bad points. He brought
US to a place where dummy figures
had been set up. their rags a-futter,
forlorn objects in the rain
The Bombing School.
There" said he. lis where we
teach 'em to throw live bombs. You
can see where they've been exploding
dummies look a bit off-color, don't
they?" And he pointed to the ragged
scarecrows with his whip. You
know. suppose" he continued. that
a Mill's bomb is quite safe as long as
you hold 1t; but the moment 1t is
Ioosed the lever flies of, which re-
leases the fring-needle. and in a few
seconds it explodes. It's surprising
how men vary; some are born momb-
ers, some soon learn, but some
couldn't be bombers IL they tried
not that they're towards; it's just
case of mentality. I've seen men take
hold of a bomb. pull out the pin, and
then stand with the thing clutched in
their fingers, absolutely unable to
novel And there they'd stand till
Lord knows when II the sergeant
didn't take it from them.
W
were saving the pins to rig UP dummy
bombs and the order was: Take the
bomb in your right hand, remove the
pm, put the pin in your pocket. and
at the word of command throw the
bomb" Well. this particular fellow
was so wrought up that he threw
away the pin and put the bomb in
his pocket"
WAS he killed." 1 asked.
NO. The sergeant just had time
to dig the thing out of the mans
pocket and throw il away. Bomb
exploded in the air and knocked 'em
both fat
Did the sergeant get the v. C. or
NJ. c. or anything?' / inquired.
The major smiled and shook his
head have a good many sergeants
here and they can't all have 'em!
Now come and see my lecture thea
ters."
Lecture Theaters-
Presently. looming through the rain,
/ saw huge circular structures that /
could make nothing Of, until. entering
the larger OF the two, / stopped in
surprise, for looked down into a
huge, circular amphitheater with cir
eular rows of seats descending tier be-
low tier to a circular floor of sand,
very firm and hard.
"An made out Of empty oil cans"
said the major. tapping the nearest