The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-11-14

COulu uOJ get uSCu u IL, at uFSt. TUE
instance, on an American ship, when
you are pounding your ear in nice
warm hammock and it is time to re-
lieve the watch on deck, like as not
you will be awakened gently by burly
garby armed with a fairy wand about
the size of bed Stat, whereas in
French ships, when they call the
watch, you would think you were In
swell hotel and had left word at the
desk. It was hard to turn out at first,
without the aid OF club, and harder
still to break ourselves of the habit
Of calling our relief in the gay and
festive American manner, but, as ]
say, we got to like it after while.
Then, too, they do not do any hazing
in the French navy, and this surprised
us. We had expected to go through
the mill just as we did when we Joined
the American service, but nobody slung
a hand at us. On the contrary, every
garby aboard was kind and decent and
extremely courteous, and the fact that
we were from the States counted a lot
with them. They used to brag about
it to the crews of other ships that were
not so honored.
But this kindness we might have ex-
pected. It is just like Frenchmen in
any walk of life. With hardly an ex-
ception, l have never met one of this
nationality who was not anxious to
help you in every way he could; ex-
tremely generous, though not reckless
with small change, and almost always
CHEEKY and there with smile in any
weather. A fellow asked me once why
it was that almost the whole world
loves the French, and told him it was
because the French love almost the
whole world, and show it. And think
that is the reason, too.
About the only way you can describe
the Poilus, on land or sea, is that they
are gentle. That is, you always think
that word when you see one and talk
to him-unless you happen to see him
within bayonet distance of Fritz.
The French sailors sleep between
decks in hunks, instead of hammocks
and as had not slept in a bunk since
my Southerndown days, it was pretty
hard on me. So I got hold Of some
heaving line, which is one-quarter-inch
rope, and rugged up hammock. In
my spare time I taught the others how
to make them, and pretty soon every
body was doing it.
When ! taught the sailors to make
I hammocks, figured, Of course, thai
they would use them as we did-tha1
is, sleep in them. They were greatly
pleased at first, but after they hat
tried the stunt Of getting in and stay
ing in, it was another story. A ham
mock is like some other things
works while you sleep-and If you ar
not on to it, you spend most Of you
sleeping time hitting the floor. Gu
gun captain thought / had put over ,
trick hammock on him, but did no
need to-; every hammock is a tricl
hammock.
Also, ! taught them the way W
make mats out Of rope, to use Will
sleeping on the steel gratings near tn
entrance to stoke holes. In cold wealth
er this part of the ship is more CON
Portable than the ordinary sleepin
quarters, but without mat It gets to
hot.
American soldiers and sailors &c
the best food in the world, but Will
: the French navy chow was not fame!
!, it was clean and hearty, as they 50
! down East. For breakfast we ha
bread and coffee and sardines; at moo
j a boiled dinner, mostly beans, whic
were old friends of mine, and of tn
well-named navy variety; at four
the afternoon, pint Of vino, and 9
. six, a supper Of soup, coffee. bread an
, beans.
Although the French "seventy-five
/ is the best gun in the world, their n,
] val guns are not as good as ours, an
, their gunners are mostly older me-
!, But they will give youngster q gu
. rating if he shows the stuff.
+ Shortly after went aboard the Ca
= sard. we received instructions to pr
coed to Spezia, Italy, the large Italia
3 naval base. The voyage was withol
t incident, but when we dropped anch'
e in Spezia, the Italian port officia
: quarantined us for fourteen days {
a account of smallpox. During this perit
!. our food was pretty bad; In fact, Il
= meat became rotten. This could har
q ly have happened on an American shi
because they are provisiOned wi
a canned stuff and preserved meats, b
i the French ships, like the Italian,
d pend on live stock, fresh vegetable
!. ETC., which they carry on board. al
:. we had expected to get large supp
i. of such stuff at Spezia. Long befo
d the fourteen days were up we we
e out of these things, and had to live
e anything we could get hold cf-most
O bareback, coffee and cocoa.
9 We loaded cargo of airplanes
the Italian aviators at the French
L ing schools, and started back to Bre
It On the way back we had target pr
r tice. In fact. at most times on
r open sea. it was regular part OF
" routine.
le 1t was during one of these practi'
" that the French officers wanted
a find out what the Yankee gunner kn