To the Paris _Matin’s_ correspondent at Chartres, a colonial
infantryman, wounded at Charleroi, told his experiences in the battle:
“We marched with our African comrades against the Prussian guard,” he
said. “We advanced in bounds amid the humming bullets, using every bit
of cover we could. We felt intoxicated with the joy of battle.
“I couldn’t say how long the action lasted. All I remember is that we
fired our last shot within fifty yards of the enemy. Then it was the
pitiless thrust of cold steel. It would have given us the victory, for
however intrepid and steady are the troops we fight against there are no
soldiers in the world able to resist the Turcos’ bayonet charge.”