I do not intend to enter into many of the details of my second year's
service, as this was a mere repetition of what I had already gone
through, and I will therefore confine myself to a brief description of
that portion of my adventures which may offer some special points of
interest.
Some time elapsed before the arrival of the new _Volontaires_, and
during this period we had practically no work to do with the exception
of "stables." All the Sergeants of my squadron, and many of those
belonging to other squadrons, had made friends with me, and they all
pitied me for the cruel position I was placed in. Meanwhile the senior
_Adjudant_ retired with a pension, and my Sergeant-major was appointed
in his stead, while Sergeant _fourrier_ Vaillant became Sergeant-major.
Vaillant was a particular friend of mine, so that with his help, and
the support I knew the _Adjudant_ would give me, I hoped that if
a decent Sergeant was put in charge of the _Volontaires_ I should
soon obtain my discharge. There was no chance of our being entrusted
again to the tender mercies of Legros, as he had also been appointed
Sergeant-major.
A number of _Volontaires_ were drafted into our regiment that year--I
believe there were nearly thirty of them. Socially and intellectually
they were very inferior to my previous comrades. There never existed
between them that spirit of comradeship which was so great among the
little set to which I belonged. Shortly after their arrival a trooper
from the first squadron came to tell me that Sergeant de Cormet wanted
to speak to me, and that I was to go to his room at once. I could not
imagine what he wanted with me, as I did not belong to his squadron,
and I had never had anything to do with the man. I went, however, and
when I reached his room I asked him whether it was true that he had
sent for me.
"Yes," he said, "I want to speak to you. I have just heard that I am
going to be put in charge of the _Volontaires_, and as it appears that
nobody has yet been able to break you in, I merely wanted to warn you
that I mean to succeed. If ordinary means are not successful, I'll
stand no nonsense, and I'll find some way to get you court-martialled.
A few years in a gaol would do a lot of good to a swine of your class."
I had so far made no reply, but stood with my arms folded on my chest.
My face must have expressed my stifled anger, I suppose, for when I
took two steps forward the Sergeant retreated towards the window.
"Don't be afraid," I said, "I am not going to touch you--you are not
worth it; but now that you have told me what you mean to do, I will
also tell you what _I_ mean to do. Remember this--you may find a way
to get me court-martialled, though I doubt it, but if you do--when I
come out, be it in ten years', in fifteen years', or even twenty years'
time--I shall kill you."
"You dare to threaten me--me a Sergeant!" he said.
"Don't get my blood up; you had better not," I replied; "remember
that there are no witnesses here, and if you rouse me I might cause
you bodily harm. I am a good deal stronger than you. But I think that
this conversation has lasted long enough, and I will only add a few
words to what I told you before. I warned you what I would do if you
got me court-martialled, but I further warn you that if you bully me
while I am under your orders I will punish you when I am no longer a
soldier. And now that we quite understand each other I will say 'Good
afternoon,' only mind," I added, "if you report me for what has taken
place here I will deny everything; you have no means of proving your
word, and you would not have dared to tell me what you did in presence
of witnesses."
I returned to my room fairly heart-broken at the idea that I was
going to be under the orders of the most cowardly brute in the whole
regiment; I had seen the fellow at work when he was drilling the
prisoners, and I knew that if I had had a bad time of it while I served
under Sergeant Legros, it would be ten times worse under Sergeant de
Cormet. Shortly afterwards the _Volontaires_ and the recruits of the
year arrived, and being a trooper of a year's standing I was allotted a
recruit to whom I was supposed to teach his work. I almost despaired of
ever doing anything with the fellow, and in vain I tried to prevent his
being bullied, but the stupid chap seemed to do all he could to invite
it.
"I say, you chaps," he said to the troopers on his arrival, "I am
a Parisian, you know, and I am not going to stand any nonsense. I
have been in a grocer's shop, and I am not a greenhorn. Besides, my
cousin Beaujean has been in a Dragoon regiment, and he has told me
all about it, so no bullying please, or else you will have to do with
Jossier--that's my name."
I need not say that after this little speech of his, Jossier became the
butt of all the practical jokers in the room. The scenes I described at
the beginning of this book were of course once more renewed, but one
of the jokes which was played on my _bleu_ (recruit) was quaint enough
to be related. He was in the habit of wearing at night a _bonnet de
coton_, similar to the head-gear which was given to us at hospital, but
much more bulky. When drawn out to its full length it was fully two
feet long, and when he had it on his head the peak stood some eight
inches above his head, with an enormous tassel fixed on to it. One
evening, after he had gone to sleep, a practical joker set the tassel
alight, and being of cotton it began to burn merrily. Nearly all the
men in the room collected round his bed to see the fun, and hearing a
noise he sat up in bed and looked at us in a bewildered way. By this
time the tassel was burnt down, and the other part of the head-gear was
smouldering away.
"Well," he said, "you are a nice lot of fools to stand there staring
round my bed like a lot of idiots. It's very funny to look at a man,
isn't it?"
We were all laughing, as he had not yet noticed that his head-gear was
on fire; but all of a sudden his speech was interrupted, as he felt an
uncomfortable heat near the crown of his head, and having impulsively
put his hand to his head he realised what was the matter, and chucked
away his _bonnet de coton_.
"Ah, you swine," he exclaimed, "I'll teach you," and he jumped out of
his bed, making a dash for us. Unluckily for him, the first man on whom
he jumped was Piatte, to whom he dealt a blow on the chest. Piatte
caught hold of him by the arms and legs, and shouted, laughing, "I say,
boys, I've caught a flea; let's make it jump!" Immediately a blanket
was produced, and the recruit tossed up, and when they put him once
more on his legs he did not complain, but quietly sneaked into his bed.
During the fortnight which elapsed until the _Volontaires_ were put
together, I was told off by my Sergeant-major to drill half a dozen
recruits, and at the end of the week I had already got more out of my
recruits than any of the Corporals who were in charge of the others.
The method I employed was to promise my men a bottle of wine if they
drilled well, and of course they all did their utmost to gain that
reward. Captain Hermann, who, as the reader will remember, was in
command of our squadron, and had been in charge of the _Volontaires_,
was evidently pleased with me, and actually came to congratulate me.
This state of affairs unfortunately lasted only for a fortnight, and at
the end of that time the new _Volontaires_ were formed into a separate
_peloton_, and on account of their number two officers were placed in
command of them--Captain Hermann and Lieutenant Amy. Two Sergeants
were also detached for this service--Sergeant de Cormet and Sergeant
Cordier. The latter was a personal friend of mine, and I knew that he
would counteract de Cormet's bad intentions towards me. No Corporal had
yet been selected by the Colonel, and therefore when the _Volontaires_
were assembled for the first time, I took my position to the left of
the company, the Corporal's place, which, by rights belonged to me
as the senior trooper. The previous year when we were formed into a
separate _peloton_ there was among us a _Volontaire_ who had been
detained and who belonged to the lot who had served before us, and
Legros had always made him do Corporal's duty. But evidently de Cormet
did not mean to treat me in that way, for he ordered me to take my
place in the ranks among the others, and he made me go through all the
rudiments of the instruction, as if I had been a raw recruit. The other
Sergeant treated me very differently, and when he took the service
the following day he ordered me to act as Corporal. Lieutenant Amy,
however, turned up in the middle of the drill and sharply reprimanded
the Sergeant, ordering that I should be put through the rudiments of
the drill absolutely as if I had been a raw recruit. To make things
worse Sergeant Cordier was taken with typhoid fever a few days after he
took charge of us, and having had a relapse during his convalescence he
was sent home on six months' sick-leave.
Early in December two Corporals were appointed to help de Cormet: one
of them, Lormand, was a schoolfellow of mine, who had enlisted three
months before, and had just been promoted to the rank of Corporal.
I had been doing work with the new _Volontaires_ for a fortnight,
and Sergeant de Cormet hadn't yet found it possible to punish me,
for Lieutenant Amy was always present when we drilled, and de Cormet
himself spent very little time in the schoolroom, leaving one of the
Corporals in charge of it. As, however, the previous year's regulations
as to leave were still in force, de Cormet had always refused to let
me apply for leave. A few months before, I had attained my majority,
and at the beginning of December my solicitors wrote me a most urgent
letter pressing me to come to Paris without delay, to settle some
important matters. I showed this letter to de Cormet, but he absolutely
declined to grant me leave, and the Captain to whom I then went was
equally emphatic in his refusal, adding that I should only get leave
for the New Year provided I was not punished in the interval. As it
was most necessary that I should go to Paris that week, I went to
see the _Adjudant_, Bernard, my former Sergeant-major, and asked him
to let me go to Paris from Saturday afternoon after "stables" until
Monday morning. He at once promised not to report me missing, and
told me to go and settle matters with my Sergeant-major. The latter
readily acquiesced, and suggested a plan which would enable me to
reach Paris before the offices were closed. "Stables" being over at 4
o'clock, I could by catching the 4.30 train reach Paris at 5.30, and
as the offices do not close till 6 o'clock (Saturday half-holidays are
unknown in France), I should be in time to transact my business. My
Sergeant-major, however, remarked that if I wanted to catch the 4.30
train I would have no time to go to the hotel to change my regimentals
for civilian attire, and therefore suggested that I should dress in
civilian clothes in his room and leave barracks by the infantry gate. I
had made it a rule whenever I went to Paris without leave to wear over
my clothes a long blue blouse falling below the knees, with a silk cap
(the costume of the lower classes in the North of France), and I also
wore a false beard and blue spectacles. I donned this attire in the
Sergeant-major's room, and in order that I should have no difficulty
at the gate he accompanied me there, and told the Sergeant that I was
a friend of his who was in a hurry to catch his train, and I was thus
allowed to pass. I reached the station only just in time, and the train
was already moving, so that I had to jump into the carriage nearest at
hand, and received a severe shock at finding myself in company with
two officers of my regiment. Having a newspaper in my pocket, however,
I opened it, and held it in front of my face. My disguise was so
good that the officers had not recognised me when I jumped into the
carriage, but I was afraid that they might become suspicious if I held
a newspaper in front of my face during the whole journey. I therefore
got out of the carriage at the following station, where I had just time
to jump into a second-class compartment. Here, to my astonishment, I
found my schoolfellow, Corporal Lormand, also in civilian attire; I
knew that he had no leave, and as we had been great chums at school, I
did not hesitate to remove my false beard and blue spectacles, which
were a great discomfort to me.
"Well I never!" exclaimed Lormand when he recognised me. "Your disguise
is so good," he added, "that I should never have known you. But how is
it that you are going to Paris without leave?"
"I might put the same question to you," I replied, "as we seem to be
both in the same boat."
We chatted pleasantly until we reached Paris, where we parted
company--not, however, without having arranged to lunch together the
next day.
I returned to my garrison town by the last Sunday train and found the
_Adjudant_, to whom I had wired, waiting for me outside the barracks,
so that I should walk in unquestioned. He told me that everything was
all right, and that nobody had noticed my absence, so I went to my
Sergeant-major's room to change my clothes.
The next morning, as we were assembled for dismounted drill, de Cormet
called me to him.
"You went to Paris yesterday without leave," he said.
"No, Sergeant," I replied.
"I tell you that you went to Paris yesterday without leave, and what's
more, in civilian attire."
"You are making a mistake, Sergeant," I again said.
"Didn't you see Decle?" he then asked, turning to Corporal Lormand.
"Yes, Sergeant, I saw him," replied the latter.
"What have you to say to that?" asked de Cormet.
"Nothing, Sergeant."
"Very well," he went on, "I will send you to the prison at once"; and
forthwith he had me marched off by the Corporal of the Guard.
I need not say that Sergeant de Cormet had absolutely no right to
send me to prison, but knowing that the Captain would always endorse
whatever he did, he never hesitated to give us punishments far in
excess of those he was entitled to inflict. At breakfast time, after he
had dismissed the _Volontaires_, he came to the prison, where he found
me alone.
"Now I have come to speak to you, Decle," he said. "I have not yet
reported the matter either to the Lieutenant or to the Captain,
and if you will tell me the truth I promise you that you shall not
be punished. I am fully aware that you went to Paris in civilian
attire, with leave from your Sergeant-major, and I believe with the
_Adjudant's_ knowledge, but we shall leave the latter out of the
question. Now if you will make a declaration in the presence of the
Captain and another witness, saying that you have been to Paris with
leave from your Sergeant-major, you shall not be punished."
"Will you allow me to think over your offer, Sergeant?" I asked.
"Yes," he said; "I will release you now, and give you till eleven
o'clock to make up your mind. You will then come to my room and tell me
what you have decided."
I was accordingly let out of prison, and pretended to go to my room,
but the moment de Cormet had disappeared, I rushed to the _Adjudants_
room and told him how matters stood.
"What do you mean to do?" he asked me.
"You need not put such a question to me," I replied. "You ought to
know that I would rather get sixty days' prison than give you and my
Sergeant-major away; what we must do," I added, "is to discuss the
situation with Sergeant-major Vaillant, so that he may be fully aware
of what I mean to say, and act accordingly. The _Adjudant_ despatched a
trooper to call the Sergeant-major. When the latter turned up he was
greatly concerned to hear what had happened, but I assured him that he
need have no fear, and explained my plan to him. I would say that I
left barracks on the Saturday evening after arranging my bed so that
it appeared as if I were sleeping in it when the Sergeant of the Week
passed through the room to call the evening roll. I would also say that
the Sergeant-major gave me leave not to attend stables on the Sunday
(which he had a perfect right to do), and that I returned to barracks
on Sunday night by getting over the wall. I would also explain that I
was not reported missing at the Sunday evening roll-call, one of my
comrades having prepared my bed as I had on the previous night, so that
the Sergeant of the Week did not notice my absence. Sergeant-major
Vaillant remarked that if I told that story I should be punished with
special severity, but I said I did not mind in the least so long as I
did not get him into trouble." He thanked me profusely. "In the state
of mind the Colonel is in," he added, "if he found out that I had given
you leave he would be certain to reduce me in rank." The _Adjudant_
remarked that de Cormet's motive was plain, for being first on the list
of the Sergeants proposed for promotion to Sergeant-major's rank, he
wanted to avail himself of the chance of getting Vaillant reduced to
secure his place.
At eleven o'clock sharp I went to de Cormet's room and found him in the
most amiable frame of mind.
"Well," he said, "I suppose that you have made up your mind to tell the
whole truth?"
"Certainly, Sergeant," I replied; "I see no good in shrinking from it,
and I will tell you exactly what happened." I then told him the story I
had concocted with the Sergeant-major and the _Adjudant_.
"You are telling me lies," he angrily exclaimed. "I can't understand
your doing your best to get an exemplary punishment when you can so
easily get off scot-free. Why don't you confess purely and simply that
you had your leave from your Sergeant-major?"
"I will tell you why, Sergeant," I then replied, "and the best of
reasons is that I had not his leave, and as there are no witnesses
here, you can't use what I am going to say against me. You want me to
accuse my Sergeant-major so as to get him reduced in rank, because you
hope to be appointed in his stead. None but a man as mean as you are
would try that sort of game. You can do what you like, but I shall
merely repeat what I told you just now, and I once more want you to
understand that I had no leave whatever, and that my Sergeant-major
knew nothing about my going to Paris. Now do your worst."
"Oh," he said, "I wanted to do you a good turn, and that's how you take
it. You will see what it will cost you! I shall report the matter at
once to the Captain."
He was as good as his word, and in the afternoon the Captain turned up
at the barracks and sent for me.
"I thought some time ago, Decle," he said, "when you were doing your
work with the squadron, that you were really trying to turn over a new
leaf. I find, however, that, on the contrary, you are doing your best
to get yourself sent to Biribi. What is the meaning of this story that
I hear from de Cormet about your having gone to Paris in ridiculous
civilian attire, and with the complicity of your Sergeant-major? I have
spoken to the latter, who is naturally most indignant, and I am not
sure that I shall not have you court-martialled for having basely made
a false accusation against one of your superiors."
"I have not accused my Sergeant-major, sir," I indignantly replied,
"though I was asked to do so by the Sergeant----"
"No further accusations!" interrupted the Captain with severity.
"Sir," I continued, "I do not know what Sergeant de Cormet may have
told you; but, if you will allow me, I will repeat to you what I told
him, and freely confess all that I have done."
I thereupon once more repeated the story we had concocted.
"But," cried the Captain, "Sergeant de Cormet distinctly told me that
you had tried to exculpate yourself by asserting that you went to Paris
with your Sergeant-major's leave!"
"I swear to you upon my honour that I never said so, sir!" I replied.
The Captain then sent for de Cormet, and told him that I denied having
tried to excuse myself by alleging that I had permission from the
Sergeant-major.
"Didn't you tell me," said de Cormet, "that you were not reported
missing on the Sunday because you had leave from your Sergeant-major?"
"Certainly," I replied; "I was excused by him from attending stables,
but I distinctly told you that I had no other leave: you know it quite
well, Sergeant, as you----"
"Oh," quickly interrupted de Cormet, addressing the Captain, "I
suppose, sir, that I misunderstood what Decle told me."
"But didn't he tell you," replied the Captain, "how he deceived the
Sergeant of the Week by making a sham figure in his bed?"
"Yes, sir, I remember now," said de Cormet quietly.
"I am afraid that you were too kind to Decle," said the Captain, "and
that you wanted to save him from a severe punishment, and it did not
strike you that if I had found out that Sergeant-major Vaillant had
given him leave I would unhesitatingly have asked the Colonel to reduce
him to the rank of Sergeant. As to Decle, I will begin by giving him
four days' prison, and I will draw up a report at once, which you will
take the Colonel."
I had to hand the whole of my kit to the Sergeant _fourrier_, and was
then led to the prison. The _Adjudant_ came to inform me, later on,
that the Colonel had altered my punishment to eight days' prison and
eight days' cells in solitary confinement. All punishments have to be
accompanied by an explanation, showing the reasons why the punishment
has been inflicted, and in all cases involving prison the punishment
has to be reported to the Major-general in command of the brigade to
which the regiment belongs. Here are the reasons for my punishment as
they appeared in the Regimental Orders of the day:--
"The trooper Decle," said the Colonel in the Regimental Orders, "will
be punished with eight days' prison, and eight days' cells, for having
infamously deceived the Sergeant of the Week by making a dummy in his
bed, for having gone to Paris without leave in civilian clothes and
in disguise--and for having, notwithstanding the orders previously
issued, applied to his Sergeant-major for leave not to attend stables
instead of demanding such leave from the Sergeant in charge of the
_Volontaires_; for having further deceived the Sergeant of the Week
in getting another trooper to make a dummy in his bed, and for having
returned to barracks over the wall. This trooper is warned that unless
he amends soon his conduct the Colonel will be under the painful
necessity of sending him before a _Conseil de discipline_." (See p. 29.)
When the _Adjudant_ came to communicate this order to me he promised
that he would not let me be put in solitary confinement, but that I
should spend the fortnight over which my punishment extended in the
common prison. He also promised to give orders that a steak should
be brought to me from the canteen and placed on the top of my daily
rations. He added that as he was being relieved from duty that day he
would recommend me to the other _Adjudants_, and that my punishment
would begin with prison, so that when he took "the week" again on the
next Monday he could see about arranging that I should not be put in
solitary confinement. The worst consequence of the punishment I had
just received was that it prevented me from entertaining any hope of
being released from active military service after the first examination
of the _Volontaires_, and I knew that in future I should be treated
still more harshly than before.
I was chiefly indignant with Corporal Lormand. To think that a
schoolfellow of mine, who professed to be my friend, who had accepted
luncheon from me the previous day, could have been mean enough to
denounce me! To think that, although he had gone to Paris without
leave, in civilian attire, like myself, he was not punished, but
congratulated by the Captain for having "given me away"! All this made
me ask myself whether such a thing as common justice existed in the
French army.
I have seen a great deal of the world since. Years have elapsed since
all this happened, but from all I have heard from young fellows who
have served their time but recently, the system is still just the
same. The bullying of privates by Corporals and Sergeants is as bad as
in my time, the officers are jealous of each other, and, instead of
encouraging privates so as to make them love their _métier_, they plot
and scheme to get promotion, while the Corporals and Sergeants chiefly
strive to find or manufacture defaulters, well knowing that by so doing
they will attract their chiefs' attention, and thus get advancement.