In the Foreign Legion

istment office of the Foreign Legion : Naked humanity : A surgeon with a lost sense of

e preferred a pistol-bullet as a last res

with the intention of enlisting for the Legion. Something very

heap, and gave the icy elegance of the room a warm tone. Sleepily I stared at their play; sleepily I blinked at the enormous bed with its splendid covering of lace, the curious furniture, the wonderful Persian rug. Then I woke up with a start a

the air from the lungs; as if one never could draw breath again. I had once experienced this fear in the valley of Santiago de Cub

ne must tr

y gold piece. Ah, madame, you would hardly flash your pretty eyes if you knew! The head waiter stood expe

rather large

man in this world who gets a

parle p

ll right,

despair the affairs of the Belfort storekeepers could interest me. Mechanically I looked about and saw a house of wonderful blue; the city fathers of Belfort had built their new market-hall almost wholly of sapphire-blue glass, which scintillated in the rays of the sun, giving an effect such as no painter h

s, nor could even the most wonderful blu

came up the street. I spoke to

t me to the recruiting off

"kepi" politely and se

ieur. I am on the way to th

nt to

y be able to assist you. I am adjutant

egion," I said, very, very softly. How terribly hard thi

aid the officer,

of French courtesy) amiably about this and that. Awfully interesting corps, this Foreign Legion. He

geria. Brilliant careers down there! Oh, la la! Eh bien, monsieur-you shall

at curio

d in the

tenant asked in a very

egion physical fitness is the only thing required, and that the recruiting

n interest only. If you had special military knowledge, for in

e meant. Now I answered that I had

steep, rather dirty stairs, into a dingy little office. At our entrance a corporal jumped up from his seat and s

r, you are not dressed like a man desiring to

hould give my right name or not. I gav

others. The médecin major

he medical examination, waiting to know whether their bodies were still worth five centimes daily pay. That is what a légionnaire gets-five centimes a day. One of the men sat there naked, shivering in the chill October air. It needed no doctor's eye to see that he was half starved. His emaciated body told the story clearly enough. An

hunger, they had forgotten the laws of cleanliness. They were ashamed, and every move of theirs told it. There, in the corner, one of the men was shoving his shoes furt

s and deep lines round their mouths; men with hard, wrinkled features telling the old story of drink very plainly. Nobody dared

veins. D'you think

man-the hope of regular food! The daily five

f hopeless men, at their filthy things, at their hungry faces; I

assistant and my lieutenant. I would have given something to have asked this doct

doctor poi

dre

very softly, but I could hear that they were talking about me,

officer. I suppose they took me for a deserter; it certainly must have been

diculous it all was-I fumbled at my watch-chain, trying to take off the little gold sovereign-case in order to open my

w actually wears

ld they make it so hard for me in particular? Then I understood how human their curiosity was, and how ridiculous my irrita

spare, and who took a long look at me. I stared quietly back at him. You may look as long as you wish, I thou

said th

ith a short look in each case, as the other men took their turn. Three men were refused. An old woman could have diagnosed their condition at a glance-they were cases for a hospital, and their doing milita

s waited, half an hour, an hour. At last the win

!" he

y ans

e yelled, g

no r

eared beside the corporal,

e man does not und

one of my new c

chneider?" the

s,

your name is pronounce

s,

our nam

ographed paper, and I glanced quickly over its contents. It was a formal contract for five years' service in the Foreign Legion between the Republic of France and the man who was foolish enough to sign it. There were a

l papers?" the lieute

much too good for an occasion like this. While searching my portfolio for "personal papers" I happened to find the application form of a life insurance company, with

finally smiled, and g

my name I wrote the

necessary," said

I wrote unthinkingly-it's

ou're righ

of the French soldiers who met us on the way stopp

E

ry face, he yelled,

es légionnaire

recruit Rader and the recruit Rosen, sat in a little room belonging to the quarters of

n Rader-while I was at it, but I ain't proud. What's in a fine name, I say, if you've got nothing to fill your stomach with? No

te feelings," he repeated wi

outh and swallowed the knife, as if twelve-inch blades were his favourite repast. All at once the knife lay upon the table

artist? Not a bit of it. Boys, since I hopped over the frontier and made long nose at the German cop I left on the other side with a long face, I haven't had much to eat. Remarkably less than was good for my constitution. S

arefully, turned round to mask his artistic preparations, turned to us again-and his wide-opened satyr-mout

ntral Africa a treat. I'll go partners with some big chief and do the conjuring part of the business. Heap big medicine! There's only one thing worrying me. How about drinking arr

led so

aid Herr von Rader sorr

his fantastic yarns, he was helping me to battle with my d

cenies," by means of which the ever-hungry and ever-thirsty Herr von Rader had managed to eat occasionally, at least, on his wanderings over t

aus." The patrol came up. As the non-commissioned officer in command put Schneider under arrest, the boy shoved his superior aside, knocked some of the soldiers of the patrol down and took to his heels. When he had slept off the effects of his carouse in a corner, he got frightened and deci

n the road wanted to enlist in the Legion. Anyway, I never

ly. "You would have got all sorts of good t

ed and a serg

gionnaire

too

hes to speak to you. Come a

you. I have served in the Foreign Legion as a common soldier. I consider it an honour to have served in this glorious corps. It all depends on yourself: men of talent a

" I stuttered.

will give you some advice: Volunteer for the first battalion of the Legion. You have a much better chance there for active service

ieve this officer was a fi

at college; I saw my father standing by the dock at Bremerhaven and heard his last good-bye and my mother's crying.... Back to America my waking dreams carried me; I saw myself a young cub of a reporter, and remembered in pain the enthusiasm of the profession, my enthusiasm-how p

all troubles; I tried to glory in remembrance of hard riding and straight shooting, of a brutal but gloriously free life. Why should I not live a rough life now? I should be on active service in the

n. During the long night I fought with a wild desire to scream