Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-25
BLACK WARRIORS BATTLE
. FOR CAUSE OF OPPRESSED
Strange Scene Presented by African
Tents Pitched on Plains
of FLANDERS.
sENEGALEsE ARE GOOD TROOPS
In Midst OF Great Dcsolation Men
From Africa Spend Their Rest
limo Dancing and Singing Native
TuncS-French Ruins.
by PIERRE LOTT.

An, well! Since the great war. the
oattle front makes me think sometimes
Oh those conglomcrate pictures. it's
scenes massed By chance upon a sensi-
pSe Plate that We nave forgotten to
change. Thus have | not seen the
Arabs with their great tents. stretched
along the plains Of Belgium. in the
mHinst Of Flemish windmiiis and troops
canopies, of snow.
For example. to-day in n village of
Hham gne--unhappy town. right i'm
inc inc line of fire and in full sight OF the
lnat was really I'm Senegal They
S meTe .aancing frantic African BAN
cnn uaa under sun unusual for this
one The village. OF course was camou-
n,haged, concealed on the side next to
.he enemy. under palisades OF dead
twiSs and branches. and more especial
,by canopies Of coarse muslin that
inent, knew as well as we the plan of
tnese quiet LITTLE streets here. and were
light webs soldiers were often walk
ing; but at least they could not see.
and that prevented them from firing
mastering.
II was warm. very warm. unseason-
ably warm In the north. and the air
was full OF the unmistakabie African
scent eXhaled by the dancers. "A hun
d t,e,d1 soldiers. black as night. after the
their evening recreation and were dane
ing with most exuberant gavety. for
ana prey from hour TO hour OF pass
/ lived in my early youth in Senegal,
ana ana easily recognized them from diff
terent Senegalese peoples. From all
these dark hgures-as black as black
olacking.therc cleaned the white
enamel OF the eyes when spanked with
life and Intelligence and with good
nature: Their officers. who had known
nnS With them in a friendly manner.
ana one could see that between chief
ana ana. soldier there was confidence ana
aHection. Some forgotten words of
their language. revived miraculous;y
~ aa ae pfhe sI came back to me. and
our country. colonel they say DO
yon know how to talk Senegal"
dark night, they must leave forever
this place. this sport where they have
enjoyed little rest and gayety. and
away-toward the west, as they call H.
ihGn' II Tomorrow. the Boches wish
to lombard them, their shells viii find
Under the spreading gray cobwebs only
the little abandoned houses This night
II was. so 20 say. the "NeilIe dcs armes''
their small hands strangely tinted with
pale pink. and they were giving them
s sSe s up 30 wiid .nj9ymsn, and with
carry with them when they went TO
night FOR their new country.
THEIR TAM-TA1IS LOST
SO WE CLAPPicD HANDS
The only thing that they regretted
In this hour OF mirth was that they
had broken the last OF their ta,n-ta,ns
brought from down there in the tropics
and so We're obliged 10 clap their hands
together for the music Of the dance.
But hey were nceyertheless; enjoying
TO the fun the wild frenzy of the time
even to the bruis!ng OF their small
hands-so black and yet so. pink on
surround others, who in the center are
executing wonderful contortions and
t%istinss. while chanting words Of
springtime OF the north this night with
the Wild delirium with which they had
celebrated crstwhile the torrid spring
OF the south.
And in the mcantime-what con-
trast. how homogeneous,
Behind all this t.rvor and passion
of countries, so far. removed is the vast
canvas of the BACKGROUND. which CON
ceals q little the screen of dead
branches and the gray muslin spider
web, the great BACKGROUND of the pic
ture that without doubt has been I'M
pressed there by. mistake. i, is so
purely French and so sadly tragic.
This vast background was the soft
Wales and dales OF Champagne. with
Above all II was the majestic cathedral
upon which the infatuated barharians
were venting their wrath. the cathedral!
which never appeared more imposing.
more disdainfu more eternal: one
could not doubt that il was riddled
with shot, bu; at this distance only its
grand silhouette still intact was seen.
Distance often restores to things their
proper proportions, and il seemed
strangely to increase in size: the rest
OF the~city was as If heapcd at its feet:
the lofty contour of its nave and its
towers rose SO much above everything
that II had the appearance of standing
alone in the midst of crumbled.
neglected stones, centuries old. upon
which the dense white smoke of shells
was bursting at each moment, then
to break into foam like the ocean
And never have ] been struck with
the pitiable imbecility of this destruc-
ton.
Oh! poor. poor creature. this de-
moniac of Berlin, who for nearly four
years has tried to glut upon this
church his pecvish spite. and works
thus with unwcarying folly to engrave
indelibly on the worlds history his own
shame.