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　　CHAPTER IV

　　I saw a scene with a French poilu one day in the Street of the Three Pebbles, during those battles of the Somme, when the French troops were fighting on our right from Maricourt southward toward Roye. It was like a scene from “Gaspard.” The poilu was a middle-aged man, and very drunk on some foul spirit which he had bought in a low cafe down by the river. In the High Street he was noisy, and cursed God for having allowed the war to happen, and the French government for having sentenced him and all poor sacre poilus to rot to death in the trenches, away from their wives and children, without a thought for them; and nothing but treachery in Paris:

　　“Nous sommes trahis!” said the man, raising his arms. “For the hundredth time France is betrayed.”

　　A crowd gathered round him, listening to his drunken denunciations. No one laughed. They stared at him with a kind of pitying wonderment. An agent de police pushed his way between the people and caught hold of the soldier by the wrist and tried to drag him away. The crowd murmured a protest, and then suddenly the poilu, finding himself in the hands of the police, on this one day out of the trenches—after five months—flung himself on the pavement in a passion of tears and supplication.

　　“Je suis pere de famille!... Je suis un soldat de France!... Dans les tranchees pour cinq mois!... Qu'est-ce que mes camarades vont dire, 'cre nom de Dieu? et mon capitaine? C'est emmordant apres toute ma service comme brave soldat. Mais, quoi donc, mon vieux!”

　　“Viens donc, saligaud,” growled the agent de police.

　　The crowd was against the policeman. Their murmurs rose to violent protest on behalf of the poilu.

　　“C'est un heros, tout de meme. Cinq mois dans les tranches! C'est affreux! Mais oui, il est soul, mais pour—quoi pas! Apres cinq mois sur le front qu'est-ce que cela signifie? Ca n'a aucune importance!”

　　A dandy French officer of Chasseurs Alpins stepped into the center of the scene and tapped the policeman on the shoulder.

　　“Leave him alone. Don't you see he is a soldier? Sacred name of God, don't you know that a man like this has helped to save France, while you pigs stand at street corners watching petticoats?”

　　He stooped to the fallen man and helped him to stand straight.

　　“Be off with you, mon brave, or there will be trouble for you.”

　　He beckoned to two of his own Chasseurs and said:

　　“Look after that poor comrade yonder. He is un peu etoile.”

　　The crowd applauded. Their sympathy was all for the drunken soldier of France. Now It Can Be Told