Paths of Glory: Impressions of War Written at and Near the FrontCobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
History
Paths of Glory: Impressions of War Written at and Near the Front
Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Unless a German is so seriously crippled as to be entirely unfitted for
service he manages to do something useful. There are no loose ends and
no waste to the German military system; I can see that. The soldiers in
the street cheer the wounded as they pass and the wounded answer by
singing Die Wacht am Rhein feebly.
One poor chap raises his head and looks out. He appears to be almost
spent, but I see his lips move as he tries to sing. You may not care
for the German cause, but you are bound to admire the German spirit--the
German oneness of purpose.
Noon. As the Texas darky said: "Dinnertime fur some folks; but just
twelve o'clock fur me!" Again I smell something cooking upstairs. On
the mantel of the shabby little interior sitting room, where we spend
most of our time sitting about in a sad circle, is a little black-and-
tan terrier pup, stuffed and mounted, with shiny glass eyes--a family
pet, I take it, which died and was immortalized by the local
taxidermist. If I only knew what that dog was stuffed with I would take
a chance and eat him.
I have a fellow feeling for Arctic explorers who go north and keep on
going until they run out of things to eat. I admire their heroism and
sympathize with their sufferings, but I deplore their bad judgment.
There are grapes growing on trellises in the little courtyard at the
back, but they are too green for human consumption. I speak
authoritatively on this subject, having just sampled one.
Two p.m. Tried to take a nap, but failed. Hansen found a soiled deck
of cards behind a pile of books on the mantelpiece, and we all cheered
up, thinking of poker; but it was a Belgian deck of thirty-two cards,
all the pips below the seven-spot being eliminated. Poker with that deck
would be a hazardous pursuit.
McCutcheon remarks casually that he wonders what would happen if
somebody accidentally touched off those field-gun shells in the house
two doors away. We suddenly remember that they are all pointed our way!
The conversation seems to lull, and Mac, for the time being, loses
popularity.
Two-thirty p.m. Looking out on the dreary little square of this town
of Beaumont I note that the natives, who have been scarce enough all
day, have now vanished almost entirely; whereas soldiers are noticeably
more numerous than they were this morning.
Three-fifteen p.m. Heard a big noise in the street and ran to the
window in time to see about forty English prisoners passing under guard
--the first English soldiers I have seen, in this campaign, either as
prisoners or otherwise. Their tan khaki uniforms and flat caps give
them a soldierly look very unlike the slovenly, sloppy-appearing French
prisoners in the guardhouse; but they appear to be tremendously
downcast. The German soldiers crowd up to stare at them, but there is no
jeering or taunting from the Germans. These prisoners are all
infantrymen, judging by their uniforms. They disappear through the
gateway of the prince's park.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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