Evening star., 1934-11-25

smaller towns where Legionnaires are quar-
teredl there is the Village Negre too-the
Street Of the Women.
This street is so narrow one can reach out
and touch both walls, and it is unlghted except
for candles glowing through open doors. Not
only Legionnaires but Arabs stream with their
bright uniforms and white burnoSSeS up and
down the lane. On holiday the women put
their most bizarre gowns and heaviest
jewelry.
With many desperately gay soldiers wan
dering about the streets at night, fights are fire.
quent. At this the Legion excels, and woe TO
their opponents, for every Legionnaire in sight
will come to the aid of fellow Legionnaire and,
regardless of where justice lies, fight like a
demon for the uniform.
This esprit de corps is the Legion's flaming
flag. The tricolor for them has little mean
ing, since they most emphatically not
French. Neither are they German any more,
nor Russians, nor Spaniards. They are Legion
naires. This spirit of unity gives them an eX-
traordinary fighting efficiency, an indomitable
quality, that is the first and greatest tradition
of the Legion. 1t has been born of countless
heroic battles throughout the century since
Louis Philippe organized the service.
Nor have those battles all been fought in
North Africa. Hundreds of LegionnaireS per-
ished for Maxmilian in Mexico Their graves
are strewn across Indo-China, French Sudan
and Madagascar. During the World War. the
major part of the Legion combed clean of Ger
mans and containing at that time many Ameri-
cans, was transferred to France. There the
1St Regiment suffered more casualties and won
more honors than any other allied regiment.
Four times 1t was annihilated Four times It
was re-recruited Into every desperate battle
1t was flung. Its flag won so many medals and
citations that one general exclaimed, THE
folds of this flag are not broad enough to hold
all its claims to glory!"
In order to have close contact with the Legion
in the field, chose to accompany. on foot. 200
Legionnaires who had to march $50 miles across
desert country in five days.
\A/E STARTED out from a point deep IN
w the wilderness at O'Clock in the morn
ing, the usual time for marches to be-
gin. The destination can then be reached by
noon and much of the scorching heat avoided.
But now the night was freezing, and as the men
lined up they kept their heavy service overcoats
closely buttoned Under this overcoat each
man wore his full uniform. with 18 feet of broad
ceinture blue (the dark blue sash that distin-
guisheS Legionnaires) wrapped around his
waist, and, in addition each carried two half
gallon bidons of water slung from his shoulders.
cartridges, firewood, sometimes a pick and
shovel, haversack, a mess kit, food, one sec
ton of field tent and a 5-foot rifle.
We had 30 miles to do that day. and I'd not
walked that many miles in a month 7 soon
began to regret it. The moment the pas de
route order was given the Legionnaires broke
step, took a reef in their centuries and moved.
How they could march! The hlometers rolled
behind like knots behind battleshp smoothly.
steadily, mercilessly. The pace was never less
than miles an hour.
AS soon as the sun rose the heat began 10
torment me, for was wearing a light sweater.
But what Of the Legionnares in overcoats?
They dripped far worse than I did, but while
I struggled to keep up. they sang-lusty Ger
man marching songs, always, always. German.
And these had once been unhealthy wrecks
such as saw slouch out Of the train at Bel
AbbeS!
We soon came to stretch Of brush and gravgl
Continued on Ninth Page.