The Monroe journal., 1919-01-07
THE PERII.OUS PRACTISE
OF DOING ONES DUTY
3cing = Story of How an African
Acting n French Sentinel Got
His Commands Confused-Also
the Exploits of a Movie Man."


His Commands Confused-Also
The Exploits OF Movie Man."
Captain Carroll j. Swan in his book
Ny Company" tells this amusing
story Lieutenant Charlie Bateman
eing the fat officer. Charlie" was
going forward at night. to fnd dug
oats, etc, TO a town near the front
Line
As Captain Swan tells 1T:
Just after dusk he went ahead IN
a side car MOTORCYCLE. and. going
through the next little town, he
aoticed that for some unknown rea-
san the sentinels did not challenge,
aud he travelled on TO where the men
were at work without being molested.
Down the last stretch OF the road
German sniper in some way had got
into q wood and had been shooting
ur and down the road and had hit
one OF our sentries. Bearing this
fact in mind. after Charlie" had
tHleted the platoon ana started 10
return, he said to the driver: Never
,and the speed laws; beat it Jus,
as he was dashing into the first town
sentinel i'm French uniform jumped
10 the middle of the road. Char
lf." then remembered that this town
nat day had been taken over the
French. He leaned out of the car
and said. "Abbeyille Albert tthe
countersign and parole for that
r.chtD
The sentinel stood there in a
fFouching position al charge 0ayo-
ne,s." Charlie af;erward swore
that that piece of sharp steel was
four feet long. In answer to his pass
word the sentinel simply shook MS
oayonet and said. "B-r-r-h''
mo, Monsieur. you don't under
sand. lie mot est Abbeville Albert. y
Again came nothing but the de-
iermined shake of the bayonet and
"3-r-r-h."
Pig Thayer Quimby was driving
the motorcycle that night. He is
nut, Lieutenant. let me ride him
Gown and we will get by tout de
suite.
Charlie" having great respect
and admiration for Our French allies
said mo. will get out aud talk
20 this gentleman. He went up TO
the end OF the steel pig-sticker lean
el over it. and much to his conster-
nation discovered that the French
sentry was as black as the night.
In his very best French he com
LANDED: "Appelez vous. sill vous
rlait. caporalde garde. ou lie sargeant'
on les officers, on somebody.
The only reply was another
"B-r-r-h." Then my stout lieuten-
ant realized that this French soldier
could not understand either French
~ ENGLISH; that he was one of the
Ssnegambians, just arrived, and was
very much on the job. Charlie
thought he knew one or two words
IT, Senegambian that he had learned
rom French troops. but was very
mach afraid they were cuss words
an did not dare 10 use them, sud
denly he thought of his identification
tar with his picture in it, which he
cerred in his hip pocket. He reach
ed for it with his right hand Much
agitation of the steel pig-sticker
Many and loud "B-r-r-hs" and the
cooking of the rifle on the part OF
the sentry. The officer Immediately
changed his method of attack and
"Kameraded.
What the outcome of this dead
lock would have been nobody car
say, but at that critical moment hope
came in sight in the form of a wagon
train coming down the hill. II was
evident that the sentry had misun'
derstood his orders. He would allow
ANYBODY to go out of the town bu'
no one to come in The fat lieuten-
ant, with his hands above his head
pleading with his implacable oppon'
eNi, spied the wagon-train and yell
ed.
Don't 90 out of here: you vii
never get back Send somebody bach
quick, and get a regular Frenchmal
10 come down and tell this Niger
that | am one of his pals. Hurry
up, for don't think | have very Ions
10 live"
The driver was gone perhaps ter
minutes-"C Charlie" claimed II was
an hour and half; and all this time
the steel pig-sticker was resting OF
his rotund stomach with the rifle be
hind il cooked and wild. determined
African soldier back of that.
A French non-com finally arrived
explained to the son of night tha
this was a perfectly good officer o.
the Allied Army and not a fat Boche
and for the first time the black maj
lifted the pig-stcker from Char