When the general mobilization of the French army began I was in the
employment of a contractor. Without a moment's delay I hurried to
the Monaco railway station, and was able to witness the departure
of several trainloads of soldiers. These ceremonies, the touching
farewells, and the joyous songs of the conscripts, made a deep
impression upon me, so that on returning home I passed a very restless
night.
On awakening on Sunday morning several ideas occurred to me, but the
one which filled my mind the most was that of following a convoy
of soldiers as far as Belfort, the town where, it seemed to me,
hostilities were likely to begin. Once more I proceeded to the railway
station, spending the whole morning there. In the afternoon I went for
a walk, in the course of which I saw several horses requisitioned by
men of the 27th Battalion of Alpine Chasseurs.
Returning home, I found my brother-in-law ready to leave. His departure
made my desire all the stronger, and on retiring to bed I determined to
carry out my plan the very next day.
The morrow arrived. After breakfast I left the house, on the pretence
of going to my work, and went to the railway station. But entrance
there was forbidden. Every time an opportunity offered, I slipped
through on to the platform, but two minutes before the arrival of each
train it was cleared of people and, willy-nilly, I had to leave. Eleven
o'clock struck. Half-past eleven and noon came without my being able to
bolt into a train. Returning home for the midday meal, it was hardly
over before I was again back at the station, filled with the hope of
having better luck this time. Thrice they turned me off the platform
and thrice I returned until, at last, about half-past four, a train
drew up and I found myself in front of it. In less time than it takes
me to record the fact I dashed towards the first open door and entered
an unoccupied compartment. Ten minutes later the train set off--and
there I was, _en route_ for the Front!
The train was quiet, and few conscripts occupied it until we reached
the suburbs of Toulon; but from that place fresh bodies of troops began
to join at every station, whether big or little. Ah! what a sound of
singing all along the way! At every station there was a distribution
of food and drink--bread, apples, pears, and wine; everybody gave what
he or she could. At a place near Marseilles, during a wait of an hour
and a half, a delegation of twenty young girls of sixteen to eighteen
visited every carriage. Not a soldier went without a gift; not one
continued on his way unkissed.
We reached Lyons the next day at seven in the evening. Many reservists
got out here, but more joined the train than left it. There was a wait
of an hour and a half; then off we went again. My companions in my
compartment included an Alpine chasseur, a chauffeur, and a dog-catcher
of the city of Lyons. They fell into conversation--the dog-catcher
being the first to speak.
"That _sale tête de Boche_ William has committed an infamous action!
Here am I forced to go to the war--I who have four children, and the
eldest only seven. But since we must defend our native country, let us
do so cheerfully."
"You are right," replied the Alpine chasseur. "Only a fortnight ago
I got back from Morocco, where I caught a fever and was two months
convalescent. And yet I'm going to set off like the others."
Conversations on those lines enabled us to while away the time until
we reached Dijon at half-past ten. Jumping out of the train, I saw
a notice-board bearing the words, "Belfort direction, 12.12 a. m.
Platform No. 3." I proceeded to the _trottoir_ mentioned, and waited
for the hour of the train's departure. At half-past eleven the
_employés_ got together a long string of cattle trucks. I was at a loss
what to do, whether to get into one of them or ask the men if that was
really the train for Belfort. In the midst of my speculation, and as
though they had understood my dilemma, the railway officials put up
five or six notices similar to the one I had seen on arriving.
So I entered the nearest truck I could find. It was supplied with four
seats, made of planks. I stretched myself upon one of them and was
quickly asleep.