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 WordPress
Everything you need to
know to get started
in WordPress

100% independent
Start your own blog
Install the best themes
 Welcome to
WordPress
™

WordPress has continued to grow in both popularity and capability over the
last few years, and has evolved from being an iconic blogging platform to a
powerful content management system that hosts everything from personal
blogs and fan sites to message boards and eCommerce sites. As you’ll discover,
WordPress truly does have all of the tools and components you will need to
get started with your blog. This new edition of WordPress for Beginners has
been written by experts and enthusiasts in order to teach you how to set up
an account, how the WordPress interface functions, and how to publish and
customise your very first website. In addition, it will also take you through the
best themes and how to make them your own, plus great plug-ins that your
blog simply shouldn’t be without. Enjoy the book!
 Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House
33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth
Dorset BH2 6EZ
☎ +44 (0) 1202 586200
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
Publishing Director
Aaron Asadi

Head of Design
Ross Andrews

Production Editor
Jen Neal

Senior Art Editor

Greg Whitaker

Assistant Designer
Alexander Phoenix

Photographer
James Sheppard

Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by
Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU
Tel 0203 148 3300 www.marketforce.co.uk
Distributed in Australia by:
Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street,
Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
Tel +61 2 8667 5288

Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may
be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are
recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has
endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.
This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.

WordPress for Beginners Seventh Edition © 2016 Imagine Publishing Ltd

ISBN 978 1 78546 229 0

Part of the

bookazine series
Contents
Complete guide GETTING STARTED
We familiarise you with every section
of the WordPress interface
8 Get to know WordPress
We take you through the latest
update to the system

Getting started
18 Create an account at
wordpress.com
20 Introducing the Dashboard
22 Learning WordPress links
24 Introducing pages
26 Manage your comments
28 Understanding themes
30 Introducing Theme Customizer
32 Customise your site
with widgets
34 Customise your website menu 66 Add special features to the text 72 Introducing categories
36 Using the Appearance Editor 68 Publish your blog posts 74 Understanding post tags
38 Introducing plug-ins 70 Schedule your posts 76 Uploading new media
40 Adding new plug-ins
42 Using the Plug-in Editor Setting up
44 Add new users to your site 80 Getting hosted with WordPress 106 Manage the WordPress
46 Introducing Tools 84 Download, install and set Media Library
48 Understanding General Settings up a self-hosted site 108 Organise your WordPress posts
50 Using the Writing Settings 88 First steps to creating a 110 Managing blog post
52 Understanding and using the WordPress blog comments in WordPress
Reading Settings 92 Learn to edit your WordPress 112 Customise the categories in
54 Master the Discussion Settings blog posts your WordPress blog
56 Introducing Media Settings 96 Embed external media in your 114 Create, apply and manage
58 Using permalinks WordPress posts tags in your posts
60 Customise the screen 100 Add a gallery of images 116 Manage a series of links in
and layout in WordPress your website sidebar
62 Get started with new posts 102 Add video and audio to 118 Improve your permalinks and
64 Format the text of a post your WordPress blog drive visitors to your blog

6 WordPress for Beginners

CUSTOMISING WORDPRESS
Learn how to make your blog stand out
with guides to themes, plug-ins and more

Going further
154 The best WordPress plugins
GOING FURTHER
Take your WordPress to the next step with 162 Animate typography and
CSS and responsive themes text effects
166 Create on-click fading transitions
168 Craft supercharged web
Customising WordPress animations
122 20 best WordPress themes 144 Discover the flexibility of 172 Create a flickering background
WordPress plug-ins image
132 Add a new WordPress theme
to your website 146 Type and Typography 174 Make your WordPress theme
adapt to any screen
134 Learn how to use the new
Theme Customizer “For more creative Troubleshooting
136 Modify your blog’s theme
140 Customise your themes with
control over your 180 Your questions answered
widgets blog, choose a All your problems solved with this
guide to common problems
142 Understanding the basics
of CSS web host” 186 WordPress glossary

WordPress for Beginners 7

Get to know WordPress

Get to know
WordPress
WITH 4.0, WORDPRESS RECEIVED ONE OF IT’S
MOST RADICAL UPDATES YET, LET US GUIDE
YOU THROUGH THE BEST OF THE FEATURES
WORDPRESS HAS TO OFFER…
WORDPRESS 4.4 IS out now, and includes a images and videos helps to save time
selection of new features and security fixes with previews, while browsing for new
to help bring your blog or website right up plugins has become a far better
to date. experience, allowing you to see small
A host of new features are available in previews of the plugins.
WordPress, from improvements to the In the background, various
theme customizer view and media library security fixes have been implemented,
interface to enhanced media handling in ensuring that your blog, your posts and
the visual posting view and a brand new any user data such as email addresses is
interface for installing plugins. You’ll also protected against online intruders.
find some changes to the TinyMCE UI Remember, it is important to make
when creating a new post and it is now sure your blog is up to date, and this
possible to select a language when you means reviewing plugins regularly as
install WordPress for the first time. well as making a backup before you
These improvements all work together upgrade. Holding off on WordPress
to deliver an updated, polished WordPress updates can be for the better, but now the
experience. Enhancements to managing kinks are ironed out: upgrade today!

8 WordPress for Beginners

WordPress for Beginners 9
Get to know WordPress

Get to know the Dashboard

A NEW LOOK TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOU LOGIN TO WORDPRESS
At first glance, the Dashboard may not seem all that different in recent updates, but on boxes appear and which remain hidden (see page 15 to see how you can change your
closer inspection you should spot the Welcome panel, where a collection of shortcuts screen options to suit you).
can be found. Further items will be added to the Dashboard as you install plugins. Several prominent
Ideal for newcomers to WordPress, the panel – which provides shortcuts for adding apps add important “at a glance”-style information to the Dashboard, such as Jetpack’s
widgets, installing a new theme, writing a new post and adding an about page, as well as visitor stats plugin.
managing widgets and menus, turning comments on and off and more – can be dismissed
if you’re a more experienced user.
“The panel provides shortcuts for
adding widgets, installing a new
Elsewhere on the Dashboard, the At a Glance panel, your blog’s comments Activity,
the Quick Draft box and the WordPress News (useful for spotting when new updates are

theme, writing a new post…”

imminent!) are also available, and are as customisable as they were before, you are able to
drag and drop for your own liking. You can use the Screen Options to determine which

Updates Customize your site Welcome panel Quick Draft Screen options
Update alerts will help you Use the site customizer to The Welcome panel Employ the Quick Draft Use the screen
to keep your blog secure get a preview of how your introduces you to WordPress. panel to add new blog options to tailor each
and protected against blog will look with a new This is useful whether you’re posts in a stripped-down screen in WordPress
online threats as well background colour or with new to the software or an form, without any pressure to your particular
improve functionality widgets added experienced user to publish workflow requirements

Plugins At a Glance Rearrange panels Welcome panel News panel

Adding new Plugins has The At a Glance panel Dashboard panels can Once you’re familiar The WordPress News
been revised in WordPress, gives you all be rearranged as with the Dashboard, panel keeps you up to
with a brand new user of the information needed, allowing you to maximise space by date with new and
interface that improves you need about prioritise the closing the Welcome to upcoming versions of the
the experience your blog information you need WordPress panel blogging software

10 WordPress for Beginners

 Update WordPress
UPGRADE TO THE LATEST WORDPRESS FOR THE BEST FEATURES
One of the greatest aspects of WordPress is its much-admired easy installation, and the latest
version is no different. If you’re blog is already running WordPress, ensure your database is backed up
and then sign into the Dashboard, find the notification informing you that the latest WordPress upgrade
is available (this will be across the top of the page) and click the link to begin the upgrade process. This
is the same as soon as there is any new update for you to install.
After the update completes, you’ll be presented with the new Dashboard page and confirmation that
you are now running the newest edition. Before proceeding, however, check your plugins and themes
for updates to ensure full compatibility with the new version of the blog software. Note that some
plugins may need to be disabled until the developers release compatible updates. Similarly, there is a
chance that you will need to choose a new theme.
Don’t read on in envy of the features that you could be missing out on, upgrade your system today to
save from disappointment.

“Note that some plugins may need to

be disabled until the developers release Creating posts
compatible updates”
Blogging made easier
WORDPRESS HAS IMPROVED TOOLS FOR AUTHORING NEW ARTICLES
Improvements to the way in which you compose posts in WordPress can be a benefit to new bloggers 01: Use full page editing
and those using WordPress as the publishing system for their top-rated, busy website. On the face of Use the ‘Distraction Free Writing’ button to take the WordPress post
it, there are few differences with the previous version of WordPress, but these improvements have been editor box full-screen, and enjoy a completely new way of writing
for your blog.
gradual over the past couple of years, and as such are more secure and stable here.
In the Add New Post screen you’ll still find the title box, the option to edit the Permalink (a vital tool in
your SEO strategy) and to add images using the Add Media button. You may also prefer to view all of the
available buttons in the TinyMCE text editor, possible using Toolbar Toggle.
A notable recent addition to WordPress is the Format toolbar, which can be used to create post types
such as standard, images-focused, video posts, galleries and more. You’ll find these work best when
supported by your blog theme.

02: Format your posts

Use post formats to style the published article appropriately – for
instance, a video post might have the clip at the very top of the
page. This helps you keep page styles consistent.

03: Visual Posting

The Visual Editor now gives you a better idea of how a blog post
will appear when published, with accuracy determined by the
active theme.
Above: Customising the look and feel of your blog posts has never been easier

WordPress for Beginners 11

Get to know WordPress

Revised media library

CHANGES TO THE WORDPRESS MEDIA LIBRARY MAKE CHOOSING IMAGES SIMPLER
One key addition to WordPress in recent months is an
improvement to the Media Library. It is now possible to
view a larger-resolution version of an uploaded image and
make the necessary changes with ease.
Improvements in how your images are handled in the
Edit screen (Media>Library>{Select your image}>Edit
Image) meanwhile allow you to make and save edits
without worrying whether or not the changes you make
will be applied. Although it isn’t advisable to edit images on
the server of a busy website, sometimes it just cannot be
avoided (we would advise that image editing usually takes
place on your computer or tablet).
You can also add a new title for the image, set a caption
to be displayed when it is embedded in a post as well as
display alt text when the image doesn’t load. A description
is also useful!
Whether you’re editing images or words you can cycle
between attachments uploaded by using the arrows in the
top-right corner of the Attachment Details view.

Top tip
“The software will display the video preview, Intelligent resizing
rearranges the left and
as it would on the sites it originates” right menus to fit above
and below the editing box,
enabling you to edit your
Easily embed videos blog on smaller
devices.
NOW THERE IS NO NEED TO PREVIEW EMBEDDED VIDEOS
One great way to attract readers – and ensure they
hang around – is to embed clips from video sharing
services in your posts, and a new feature as of
WordPress is a refined method of viewing these
video clips.
In the past, the video was represented by a big grey
block, which provided a useful guide to the size of the
embedded clip. After updating to the latest WordPress,
the software will display the video preview, much
as you would see it on the sites it originates (such as
YouTube or WordPress.tv).
Better still, if you need to preview the video clip in
the editor, you can, which will save time waiting for post
previews to load.
Although editing options are limited, there are some
choices available. If the video you embedded is the
wrong one, you can click the pencil icon in the top left
of the video preview to open the edit screen and input
a different YouTube URL (WordPress requires only the
URL rather than the embed code). Should you want
to remove the video, all you need to do is click the X
button to discard it.

12 WordPress for Beginners

Installing plugins in WordPress
USE THE NEW INSTALLER TOOL TO PREVIEW PLUGINS AND SAVE TIME

Change view
Use the Plugins view menu
to switch between
Featured, Popular and
Favourite plugins

Upload a plugin
If you’ve developed your own
plugin or have one to upload,
use the Upload Plugin button
to start

Search
To find plugins that aren’t
listed here, use the Search
box to search the WordPress
plugins repository to find it

Plugin details
Full details about the
plugin you’re considering
can be viewed by clicking
More Details

Add new
The new Add Plugins
screen summarises the
information you need about
each plugin

Top tip
Plugins made easy When checking new
plugins, always view the
NEW USER INTERFACE TAKES THE PAIN OUT OF PLUGIN INSTALLATION screenshots. If the
Installing plugins can be a stressful experience. After developer believes in the
backing-up your database and files, you then need to
ensure the plugin you’re about to install (if you even find
plugin, they will take
the one you’re looking for) is the best option for your time to upload
blog. You may run it on a test blog first to make sure that
there are no inadvertent side-effects.
screenshots.
A handy update that Automattic, the WordPress
developers, added in 4.0, was a new user interface that will
alleviate some of the stress by presenting available plugins
with a use preview that gives more information than was
previously available to you.
Now when you open the Plugins>Add New screen,
you’re presented with a selection of Featured plugins,
while a second tab displays Popular plugins. Descriptions,
ratings and update information is provided, along with
compatibility details. To find out more, click More Details,
and when you’re happy you can click Install Now to add the
plugin to your blog.
A useful new feature for anyone running multiple blogs
is Favourites, which means if you sign in through your blog,
you can view any plugins that you marked as a favourite,
making it easy to find in future.

WordPress for Beginners 13

Get to know WordPress

Get the language right

ADJUST YOUR LANGUAGE SETTINGS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTORS
If you run a blog that is targeted at a foreign country, and have a team of bloggers who speak the
language of that region, then it might be a wise strategy to ensure that they can use WordPress
effectively. The best way to do this is to setup the blog software using their preferred language, which is
now an option when you install WordPress onto a new server.
You may already be familiar with the WordPress installation screen, seen as you open your domain
name in your browser after uploading the latest unzipped version of the blog software (see page 84
on advice on how to do this, see page 80-83 for hosting advice). Setting your preferred language is the
first option here. If you’re used to using automated installers in cPanel or similar server admin tools, the
language option will also be found here.
Once the language is set, it cannot be changed without reinstalling, so ensure you have selected the
right option.

“You can now get a full preview in the Live Widgets

Theme Customizer as you make changes”
Previewing Widgets
GET THE BEST PREVIEW OF YOUR THEME YET – WITH WIDGETS!
The latest WordPress updates features a few improvements to the theme customizer, which can be
accessed in Appearance>Customize. Where once this was limited to changing colours and site title, it is
now a far more powerful tool that can demonstrate the impact of any installed widgets on your chosen 01: Customize your blog
blog theme (as long as it is compatible with live widget previews) before you have installed it. Access the theme customizer via Appearance>Customize. Click
Widgets to view available widgets for your blog theme sidebars. You
The advantage of this is clear. Whereupon once you would have added a widget, saved it and then can change them in the Widgets Settings.
quickly refreshed your blog – probably in a new browser tab – to see how it looked (and whether or not
it broke your blog layout!) now you can get a full preview in the Theme Customizer before rolling out the
changes to your readers.
We think that this is one of the most important new developments in WordPress, and once you’ve tried it
out we’re certain you will agree!

02: Adding a widget

Click Add a Widget to display the widgets you can use, and configure
the one you want to use. Observe how it updates as confirm options.
Take time to try the different options.

03: Save your changes

Widgets can be reordered by clicking and dragging and like other
changes will update in the preview. When you’re happy click Save
& Publish.

14 WordPress for Beginners

Adjust your Screen Options
CUSTOMISE YOUR WORDPRESS EXPERIENCE BY CONFIGURING SCREEN OPTIONS
How do you use WordPress? For most, it is a case of sign customise the blogging software’s back-end to see only
Top tip
in, scramble around looking for the link or feature you’re what you need. The Screen Options
looking for on the Dashboard or New Post page, write
your post, and then logout. With the addition of more
For instance, you’ve installed several plugins to your
WordPress blog, and the Dashboard is beginning to look a
button is available across
and more plugins over time, this process can become bit cluttered. All you need to do in this situation is open the several admin screens in
increasingly slow. Screen Options box at the top of the browser window, and WordPress, such as the
The reason for this is simple: you’re not using WordPress disable items that you don’t need to see, don’t use, or don’t
right. Using the Screen Options button, available at the top need to access through the Dashboard. Click the Screen Add New Post, All Posts
of almost every admin screen in the Dashboard, you can Options button when you’re done. and Dashboard.

Open the Options

Click the Screen Options button to open the
concealed window, where you can make any
changes to the layout

The Options are flexible

You can activate as many or as few of the Screen
Options settings as you like

Tick it to activate it
To enable a control, place a tick in the
corresponding box. Removing the tick will hide
the control

TinyMCE editor
Maximise the space you have to compose your
posts by using this option to expand the
TinyMCE editor’s dimensions

Amount of columns
Too many columns? Use the Number of
Columns option to restyle the layout

Click it to close it
Click the Screen Options button to close the
window, and carrying on blogging!

Toggling tools
Even controls with their own tool for closing
can be toggled off and on

Don’t hide, minimise

Rather than disable panels completely, you
might prefer to minimise them, expanding
them only when you need to use them

Tailor menus
These controls are tailored to your WordPress
Dashboard screen

Different screens
Different WordPress admin screens feature a
different set of options

WordPress for Beginners 15

Getting started
18 Create an account
at wordpress.com 38 Introducing
plug-ins 58 Using
permalinks

20 Dashboard
Introducing the
40 plug-ins
Adding new
60 and layout
Customise the screen

22 WordPress links
Learning the
42 Plug-in Editor
Using the
62 posts
Get started with new

24 pages
Introducing
44 to your site
Add new users
64 of a post
Format the text

26 comments
Manage your
46 Tools
Introducing
66 to text
Add special features

28 Understanding
WordPress themes 48 Understanding
General Settings 68 Publish your
blog posts

30 Introducing
Customizer
Theme
50 Using the
Writing Settings 70 Schedule posts for
future publishing

32 Customise your
site with widgets 52 Understanding the
Reading Settings 72 Introducing
categories

34 website menu
Customise your
54 Settings
Master the Discussion
74 tags
Understanding post

36 Appearance Editor
Understanding the
56 Media Settings
Introducing
76 new media
Uploading

44 MANAGE USERS 18 WORDPRESS.COM 32 WIDGETS

Understand how you can open up Familiarise yourself with your Make use of these handy add-
your blog to other users wordpress.com account ons for your site

16 WordPress for Beginners

 50 CONTROL YOUR POSTS
Learn how to write posts effectively by
using the Writing Settings

64 FORMATTING POSTS
Blogging’s biggest feature is explained in
full, with the key functions highlighted

28 A GUIDE TO THEMES
Make your website look fantastic
by installing a bespoke theme

WordPress for Beginners 17

Getting started

TUTORIALOBJECTIVE
Create a new blog account at
wordpress.com Create an account at
TIME REQUIRED
10 mins wordpress.com
SKILL LEVEL BLOGS ALLOW VIEWERS TO GAIN A CLOSER, MORE INTIMATE LOOK AT ITS CONTENT. IT ALSO TENDS
TO BE A PERFECT OUTLET FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND CONVEYING SOME VITAL PERSONALITY
ONE OF THE greatest strengths of WordPress is its ability choose your own themes, and customise the site perfectly to
to be installed and hosted in your own webspace at your match your idea. And if you want that greater control in the
own domain, giving you complete control over how the site future, you can easily migrate the site to your own domain
functions. Yet managing a site completely is a big step for later on down the road. It’s the perfect way for beginners – or
beginners. At wordpress.com you can set up a new blog, with the less technically minded – to be able to start blogging
a name of your choice, and have the hosting and management in a matter of mere minutes, and getting set up is very
taken care of for you, all for free. You don’t lose any of the straightforward too. With this tutorial, we’ll show you exactly
functionality of the WordPress blogging system, you can still how to go about creating your own blog.

18 WordPress for Beginners

01 Go to the site 02 Email address 03 Choose a username
Although the main WordPress site is located at wordpress. First add an email address to the E-mail Address box, make The next step is to choose a Username. By default,
org, the site you need to visit to set up your own hosted sure that this is a valid and current account. If you do not WordPress will add the blog address as the username and
blog is at wordpress.com. Here you can also browse with have an email account, or you would like to set up a new tell you if it’s actually available. This name will be unique to
ease some of the hundreds of thousands of other blogs account, do this immediately. Click the Subscribe to our you so if the selected username is not available the easy
hosted here. Click the Get Started button to start setting up blog check box to get news and click the Sign Up button option is to add a few numbers to the end of the name,
your blog. to continue. ie the current year .

04 Add a password 05 Choose a blog name 06 Activate account

Passwords are really crucial for ensuring no one else can The final step in creating a WordPress.com account is To complete the registration process an email will be sent
access an account. Add a password to the Password to choose a Blog Address. This is combined with the to the email address used in the previous step. Head to your
box and the visual indicator will tell you how strong the .wordpress.com extension to complete the address. This is email, login and locate the email from WordPress.com. Click
password is. Ideally, a password should at least be strong. the name that visitors will type into a web browser to get to the sign up link in the email to gain access to the Dashboard.
When this is achieved, enter the password again in the your website. Make sure that the address is descriptive and Before activating the new account there is the option to add
Confirm box. relevant. If an address already exists try again. a new email address.

07 Default theme 08 Log in 09 WordPress Dashboard

When you first finish going through the sign-up screens, you There are options for getting access to a wordpress.com The sign up process is now complete and users can start
will be greeted with a number of options to name your blog, account. Head to http://wordpress.com and in the top- adding posts to the new WordPress.com site. Before using
give it a tag line and to choose a theme for your blog. You left corner there is a Username and Password box along the newly created blog you need to first of all log out.
can change this at any time, but for no, just select the one with the Log In button. Add details and press Log In. Or, Then go to My Account in the top-left corner and select
that takes your fancy. There’s plenty of free themes to chose go direct to the login screen (using your details) ie http:// Log Out. This will close the blog and take you back to the
from but even more if you’re willing to pay. imaginebooks97.wordpress.com/wp-admin/ wordpress.com site.

WordPress for Beginners 19

Getting started

Introducing the dashboard

UNDERSTAND THE KEY PARTS OF THE WORDPRESS INTERFACE
THINK OF THE WordPress dashboard as the brain, content on the right. For example, if you select submenu beneath it, which appears when you click
heart and guts of the site. When someone visits Posts, the dashboard displays a list of all your past the main menu item. Beyond controlling your site’s
your WordPress site, they see the outside – your and current posts. Each main menu also has a appearance, content and features, the dashboard
content and design. The dashboard is the master provides you with an overview of everything that’s
control panel where you configure every facet of
your site, including your theme, which plug-ins it “Think of the WordPress going on with your site. This hub displays, among
other things, a summary of the latest comments,
uses, and the pages that it is made up of. As you
select the main WordPress menu items on the left,
dashboard as the brain, WordPress news, links to your site, and your recent
drafts . Getting familiar with the dashboard will
your dashboard changes to display appropriate heart and guts of the site” make life easier.

This drop-down menu here takes

View, edit, delete and add you to the most common admin
new posts here, or search pages with a single click
through them by keyword
Screen Options opens a form
that controls the content on each
Upload and manage photos, dashboard page
music, videos and other media
that you can display in your posts

QuickPress gives you an easy way

Add, edit, delete and categorise to add a new post without using
links to be used in lists on your the Posts menu
finished site
The Tools menu gives you options
for importing and exporting posts
All of your site’s pages are listed and comments
here. Add, edit or delete at will

Manage and activate themes.

Enable widgets and control
page layout
Click here to see all user
comments. Search, edit and
All of the controls for your site’s
delete comments too
basic behaviour and settings are
under this menu

Give your site more functionality

with plug-ins, then find, install and
Control user accounts and user access
manage them
to your site and manage user roles

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20 WordPress for Beginners

Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
punishment had come to an end the trooper was marched to the
prison, or, rather, supported thither. On the way he met his
Lieutenant and complained bitterly of the treatment he had received,
but the officer merely told him that he had fully deserved all he had
got. The following day he was so bruised and shaken that he could
not rise, and he asked for a doctor. The latter went to see him, but
declined to do anything for him, merely relieving him from
punishment drill during the next couple of days.
At that time there were from twelve to fourteen troopers in prison,
so that a peloton de chasse (punishment company) was organised,
under the orders of a certain Sergeant de Cormet, who enjoyed the
reputation of being the most severe Sergeant of the whole regiment.
An episode which occurred during the previous winter may be
quoted as an example of his method. It was bitterly cold, and he
was drilling the prisoners, making them do the sword exercise and
keeping the troopers for five or ten minutes in the same position. He
had ordered the second position of the "coup de sabre vers la
droite," which consists in holding the sword extended to the right at
arm's length; at the end of a few minutes the troopers became so
tired that none of them were able to hold their bodies straight, and
had to put their left shoulders down, and let the points of their
swords drop. De Cormet, as usual, walked behind them, coolly
saying, "Trooper Gabier, four days more for not holding yourself
straight; Trooper Chirac, your sword is not straight, you will have
two days more," and so on. All of a sudden one of the prisoners, a
poor weak fellow, said to him:
"Sergeant, my hands are frozen; will you allow me to blow in them
for one minute? I can't hold my sword any longer."
"Four days for speaking in the ranks," answered Cormet, in his
monotonous voice.
The trooper's fingers were as white as wax, and he soon repeated
his request with a similar result. At last, unable to stand the pain any
longer, the trooper put his sword under his arm and blew on his
fingers.
"Hold your sword in position at once," said the Sergeant; "I shall
report you to the Colonel."
"But, Sergeant, I can't," cried the trooper.
"You refuse to obey?" said the Sergeant.
"I can't, I can't," said the trooper, sobbing with pain, and at the
same time trying to grasp his sword, but finding himself unable to
close his benumbed fingers.
Again the Sergeant ordered him to hold his sword out, but the man
burst into tears, and once more sobbed, "I can't, I can't!" Thereupon
the Sergeant commanded another prisoner to carry the sword, and
calling out to one of the troopers on guard, ordered him to fetch the
Corporal, and when the latter came he had the poor fellow conveyed
to the cells, and reported him for refusal to obey orders. The trooper
was therefore tried by court-martial, and sentenced to two years'
hard labour! I little dreamt at the time that the day would come
when, as will be seen presently, I would have the misfortune to be
placed in the power of this fiend.
As the day fixed for our final examination approached we were all
busy looking through our various books in order to be well up to the
subjects in which we were to be examined. Our Sergeant chiefly
made us practise to give the word of command; and when one of us
was placed in command of the company, he had, before ordering
any movement, to explain fully the way in which such movement
ought to be executed. In fact, we were taught to act as Sergeants.
At last the great day came. The subjects on which we were to be
examined were these:

Dismounted drill, and command.

Hippology.
Voltige.
Gymnastics.
Topography.
Knowledge of regulations in barracks and in the field.
 Riding.
Mounted drill, and command.

The maximum number of marks which could be gained for each

subject was twenty. We were examined by a Board of Officers,
consisting of a Major, the Captain instructeur, our own Captain, and
one Lieutenant. The order in which we were called was settled
according to the numbers under which we had been enrolled, so
that I came third on the list of troopers; the three Volontaires who
had been made Corporals coming of course before the others. The
first subject on which we were examined was dismounted drill. (The
Corporals could select their own subject, so that their examination
was merely nominal.) The two Volontaires who were examined
before me were told to explain the mere rudiments of the subject,
but when my turn came I was ordered to explain and command the
most difficult manœuvres. I did this with credit to myself, and I was
further ordered to command sword drill; this I also did well, and I
was then sent back to the ranks. With the exception of three or four
of the Volontaires, who bungled most frightfully in explaining the
simplest movements, all of us knew our work thoroughly well. We
were then taken to the riding-school and examined on Hippology;
only four or five of us knew anything about this, and d'Alvarez, who
was a Corporal, knew so little about the subject that the Lieutenant
had to prompt all his answers.
We were then dismissed for breakfast, and were told to return at
eleven o'clock to the riding-school to be examined on voltige and
gymnastics. We were hardly given a chance to show what we could
do, however, as the officers were anxious to go and have luncheon.
When they returned at 3 P.M. we were taken to the schoolroom,
where our proficiency in topography was put to the test. I have
never seen anything more ridiculous than this part of the
examination, for with the exception of the Captain instructeur, the
officers seemed to know very little about the subject, and most of
the Volontaires knew still less. We were closely examined on all
questions dealing with the duties of Sergeants and Corporals, in
barracks and in the field, and, although the officers who examined
us tried their best to put me wrong, I showed myself quite
proficient, which evidently disconcerted the officers, as I heard them
whispering, "We must give him good marks, but it's a nuisance, you
know."
"We shall find a way," replied my Captain. I did not realise then what
this meant, but I understood it quite soon enough.
This part of the examination over, we were dismissed for the day,
and ordered to be ready for mounted drill, with full kit, the next
morning at 8 A.M. At the appointed time, the officers who had
examined us the previous day turned up at the barracks, and
accompanied by a trumpeter we started for the manœuvring
ground.
We had first to ride individually at various paces, and were then
ordered to go over the jumps. Very little notice was taken of our
riding, and while this went on the officers chatted together, hardly
bestowing a glance on us.
After this we had, each in turn, to take command of the peloton, and
to explain and command various evolutions according to the officer's
orders. I was successful in all the various manœuvres I was ordered
to command; but many of the others made a sad mess of it,
especially when they had to wheel their company round, take it at a
gallop to a certain point, and then return so as to march past in
fours before the Major. Miscalculation of distances was the
commonest source of error. The examination over, we were marched
back to barracks, and in the evening my Sergeant-major told me
that he had seen the marks, and that I was among the first half. I
expressed my delight, but he said warmly:
"Don't crow yet, my boy; they mean to keep you a second year, and
they will find a way to do it."
I was thunderstruck, for I never thought, for an instant, of such a
contingency. I told the Sergeant-major that it would be monstrous,
considering that I had proved my proficiency.
"Take my warning," he said, "and don't be astonished if they keep
you another year."
De Lanoy, to whom I went, then said that he did not think that the
Colonel could possibly keep me, as he would have to keep a good
many others who were below me in proficiency if he did so.
It was, therefore, with a beating heart that, on the following day, I
stood on parade, awaiting the result of the examination, which was
to be proclaimed to us by our Captain, who had prepared a little
speech for the occasion.
"I have to congratulate you," he said, "on your proficiency, which is
due to the untiring efforts of Sergeant Legros, whom I hope soon to
see duly rewarded. With the exception of two or three of you, I have
never had a better or more intelligent set of troopers under my
orders. Now I will, before reading out to you the result of the
examination, explain how it has been arrived at. The maximum of
marks allotted for each subject is twenty, and the number of marks
gained by each candidate is multiplied by a coefficient fixed
according to the relative importance of the subject." He then read
out to us the various coefficients (which will be found farther on).
"In your previous examinations," he went on, "we did not reckon
good conduct, but this being a final examination, and the submission
of each trooper to discipline being a matter of such paramount
importance, the Colonel has decided to give it due prominence, and
has, therefore fixed the coefficient at the figure of fifty, which makes
altogether the maximum number of marks to be gained 2000. I am
glad to add that many of you have obtained more than three-
quarters of the possible number of marks, and this, I say once more,
is entirely due to the efforts of your able Sergeant."
The Captain then read out the list. At the head of it stood the names
of the three Volontaires who had been previously appointed
Corporals, the first being d'Alvarez. This made us smile, for, though
we all liked him, we knew perfectly well, that if it had not been for
the influence of his family, he would have ranked near the end of the
list. The two other Corporals had worked hard since their promotion,
and fully deserved their position. The Captain, however, continued to
read out name after name, and yet mine had not been reached. I
became more and more alarmed, and I turned cold when it came at
last, at the very end of the list, with 633 marks only, while the man
before me, one of the most vulgar, ignorant, and stupid fellows I
ever met, had 1027. All the others looked at me, and felt in their
hearts that a gross injustice had been committed.
I was aroused from my thoughts by the Captain's voice:
"Decle," he said, "I am sorry to have to communicate bad news to
you; but the Colonel, after due consideration, has decided that,
having regard to the too small amount of marks you have obtained—
you see you are the only one who has less than half of the possible
maximum—the Colonel, I repeat, has decided that you shall be kept
back to complete your military education. I am sorry for you, but it
cannot be helped. As to the others, those who are already Corporals
will be promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and the next three on the
list are promoted to the rank of Corporal."
Thereupon he dismissed us. I went to him, and begged and
implored him to ask the Colonel to reconsider his decision, but he
replied that I was merely wasting my time and his.
The blow had fallen, and I felt like a madman! The first thing I did
was to obtain a copy of the list, which was posted up in the
schoolroom. I then saw how the trick had been played. A few words
of explanation will make the device clear.
The result of the examination, so far as I was concerned, was as
follows:
Co- My
Totals.
efficients. Marks.
Dismounted drill and
8 13 104
command
Hippology 5 16 80
Voltige 6 12 72
Gymnastics 5 10 50
Topography 5 9 45
Knowledge of regulations 6 10 60
Riding 7 18 126
Mounted drill and command 8 12 96
——
Grand total 633
The highest marks obtained out of a possible 1000 were 816, the
lowest marks (given to the Volontaire next to me on the list) were
177. By the actual marks obtained I ought to have been classed the
fifth out of fourteen, but as the examiners were determined that I
should be the last on the list, the following plan was devised:—
"Good conduct" was added to the other items, and a coefficient of
no less than fifty was allotted to it. With the exception of two other
Volontaires besides myself, twenty marks were given to every one
for good conduct, thus increasing their totals by one thousand! The
Volontaire who was last but one was given seventeen marks for
good conduct, and this, multiplied by fifty, made 850 to be added on
to his beggarly 177, giving him a total of 1027 marks. I was given
nothing for good conduct, so that I remained with my original 633
marks, and was thus classed last. The regulations stated that
Volontaires, who at the end of the year had failed to show a
proficiency sufficient to enable them to obtain a number of marks at
least equal to half the possible maximum at the final examination
might be detained for a second year—I was therefore detained
according to the regulations!
It was with an almost broken heart that I bade good-bye to all my
comrades, and when I watched the train which took them away
disappearing in the distance, I felt like a marooned stowaway who
watches the departing ship sink below the horizon. When they had
gone I went to my room at the hotel, seriously debating whether I
should desert or else shoot myself. That I did neither remains a
source of wonder to me.
 FOOTNOTE:
[42] It is customary in France to designate the wives of superior
officers and officials by their husbands' titles; even in good
society people will speak of La Générale, La Colonelle, La
Commandante, la Préfete, La Sous-préfete, and so on.
 CHAPTER XIV
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.
 CHAPTER XV
When I was sent to prison there were four other troopers
undergoing a similar punishment, but I did not see anything of them
until the call for "Soup," as they were kept out all day on fatigue
duty and punishment drill. Before they returned the Adjudant came
again to see me, and advised me to go to the medical visit the
following morning. He told me that he had seen the doctor, and laid
my case before him, and that the doctor had promised to exempt
me from punishment drill and from fatigue duty. He sent me, too, at
my request, some paper and ink, and all the books we had to study
for our examinations. I had also smuggled into the prison Conway's
admirable little guide-book to the highest peaks of the chain of
Monte Rosa, which I meant to translate into French to while away
the time. I also went with the Corporal of the Guard to fetch a straw
mattress and a blanket, to which, as previously explained, a prisoner
is entitled. In the evening I asked the Corporal of the Guard to put
my name down for the medical visit of the next morning.
When the other prisoners returned for their dinner, they were much
astonished to find a Volontaire as their companion. Most of them
were undergoing prison for having tiré une bordée (having been
absent without leave during five days, and having remained away up
to the very last limit they could reach without being proclaimed
deserters). These men were thoroughly bad characters, and very
different from Titi and Piatte, who were mere dare-devils; for Titi
himself, though he had been in prison several times before he joined
the regiment, had never been convicted for anything worse than
street broils. The awful life of immorality he had led before coming
to the regiment was due chiefly to the surroundings among which he
had been brought up, but notwithstanding his failings, the fellow
would never have committed a theft, and I would not have hesitated
to trust him with any amount of money. My present prison
companions, however, were of a very different type. None of them, it
is true, had been convicted before joining the army, but I soon
gathered from their conversation that it was through sheer luck that
they had escaped so far. Of course, as I was a common trooper like
them, and in prison, they spoke quite openly of their past life before
me, and even bragged of their misdeeds pour m'épater. One of
them, the fellow who had received so severe a punishment from his
comrades when he was thrashed and tossed in a blanket in the
riding-school, had never ceased to speak of the treatment he had
received, and he used to swear that if, when his time was out, he
ever came across one of his assailants, he would put a knife into
him.
While we were eating our food he returned once more to the
subject, and when I told him not to brag so much about what he
would do, he got quite indignant.
"You don't believe me, old chap," he exclaimed; "why, don't imagine
that it would be the first time! Many are the times when I have
chouriné (stabbed) a bloke. Me and two others we were for a long
time in les boulevards extérieurs (a part of Paris which at that time
was still most dangerous), and a pretty good haul we sometimes
made. I remember once an old woman was going home late at night
—we knew her well—she owned a good lot of property, and she had
been to collect her rents that day. One of us followed her the whole
day, and in the evening he came to tell us that she had gone to
dinner with her daughter. You bet, we kept a look-out for her. At ten
o'clock, sure enough, there she comes. The sergots had just turned
up a side-street to make their rounds, and we knew that the coast
would be clear for at least a quarter of an hour. We hid in a doorway,
and as she passed us Bibi le Mufle jumps on her from behind, while
the other chap who was with me lands her one in the mouth. We
laid her on the ground, and I was searching her pocket when she
begins to kick up the devil's own row, and shouts 'Murder! Police!' I
couldn't find anything in her pockets, and just then a bloke who had
heard her giving tongue comes along, and he begins shouting
'Police! Murder!' 'Oh,' I says, 'I'll soon give him "Murder."' What does
a bloke deserve who comes and interferes with gentlemen at their
business? So I rush at him and I soon stopped his howling with a jab
from my Eustace (slang word used for big knife). The others, who
were busy searching the old woman, never noticed the police who
had come round, and although I shouted to warn them that 'les
pantes' (the police) were coming, they couldn't make tracks in time.
Bibi le Mufle tried to run away, but unfortunately he fell over my
bloke, and they collared him there. They accused him of having
done for the chap, but he swore that it wasn't true. The old woman
recovered, and so did the bloke, and you'd never guess what that
man did. He swore that it was Bibi le Mufle who had stabbed him.
And the old woman, who was stupid-like when she recovered, swore
that only two chaps had attacked her. The others behaved like
bricks, they never gave me away, and so I got up a collection to get
them a good counsel, and they only got three years; so you see, old
chap, I am not afraid to use my knife, and I swear to God that some
day or other I'll have the life of one of them chaps who knocked me
about as they have, and, what's more, he concluded, j'en ai soupé
du régiment (I am sick of the regiment), and I mean to make a
clean bolt of it the moment I get out of prison."
It will be seen that my prison companions were not very desirable
acquaintances.
When I went to the medical visit the following morning, the doctor
took me apart, and asked me to tell him exactly what I had done to
be treated with such extreme severity. I began to tell him the same
story as I had told my Captain, but he stopped me.
"I know," he said, "that you are humbugging me. I heard part of the
truth from your Sergeant-major, and you may trust to my word that
whatever you tell me will go no further."
I therefore told him exactly what had happened, and the part
Sergeant de Cormet had played.
The doctor replied that it looked as if my Sergeant meant to drive
me to do something desperate, and he added that he was
determined to put a stop to it. He had already given special orders
excusing me from fatigue duty and punishment drill, and at my
request he also ordered that an extra blanket should be given me.
He added that he was disgusted at the way in which I was being
treated, that my constitution was being ruined by the harsh
treatment I was subjected to, and that he considered that I was
unfit for service under such conditions.
When I returned to prison my fellow prisoners were doing
punishment drill in the barrack-yard, and I felt glad to be rid of their
company for the time being. I was busy all day translating Conway's
book, and the time passed almost pleasantly, as I had at least
nobody to bully me. The following day was Sunday, and my fellow
prisoners were only taken out in the morning, so that their society
was inflicted upon me the whole day. De Lanoy, who was on guard
that day, came to pay me a visit, and took me into the corridor
leading into the prison to have a chat with me. I heard some
startling news from him—how two Sergeants who had just re-
enlisted and received their premium of £24 had deserted, as also
had two or three troopers. He brought me a novel, and advised me
to cut off the strings of the binding and to hide the bulk of it inside a
loaf of bread, keeping out only a dozen pages at a time, so that in
case the Captain of the Week should visit the prison I could hide
these pages inside my shirt, and should they be discovered by the
officer I could say that it was waste paper. His advice proved
excellent, as that very afternoon the Major came to visit the prison.
He inquired what all the books I had were, and I replied that they
were the regulation books we had to study, and that I had been
allowed to bring them into prison so as not to waste my time. I had
carefully hidden in a dark corner Conway's little book and inserted
the pages of my translation into my blotting-pad, so that I was not
found out. The Major felt me all over, and made me produce the
paper inside my shirt, but seeing only a few loose leaves he did not
take any more notice of it.
During the night Piatte and Titi were marched into the place. When
the door had been closed upon them a candle was lit, and Titi
embraced me with transports of joy, being evidently in high spirits.
"Ah, what fun, old fellow!" he cried out. "It's too funny, you know."
"What have you been up to again?" I asked.
Piatte, who was also roaring with laughter, said, "I'll show you." He
was in full uniform, and proceeded to take off his tunic, an example
which was followed by Titi. When they had removed their garments
I saw to my amazement that they were both dressed in acrobatic
fleshings!
I could not help laughing, and asked what on earth it meant.
"Well," said Titi, "we both got midnight leave, and as a fair was
going on we thought we would go and have a look round. We soon
came across a big tent. 'Twas the wrestlers' place, and so I says to
Piatte, 'Let's go in.' It only cost 50 centimes for the first rows, and in
we went. They were not a grand lot, you know, these chaps, and
Piatte says to me, 'Why, I could knock any one of them down with
one hand.' 'Oh,' I says, 'I don't say that I would do it with one hand,
but I would jolly well manage to bowl over any one of the boiling.'
Just then the boss steps into the middle of the ring and says,
holding a basket full of five-franc pieces, 'Now, gentlemen, if there is
any one among you who would like to back himself against me, I'll
undertake, if he manages to down me, to hand over to him the
contents of this here basket—one hundred francs!'... Nobody moved,
so I says to Piatte, 'Shall we have a go?' But Piatte, he says, 'Oh, we
can't go in uniform.' So I says, 'I'll soon settle that,' and I went
behind the tent, and I tell one of the chaps to call the Guv'nor. 'Look
here,' I said, 'did you mean what you said just now?' 'I did,' says the
boss. 'Well, then, there's my chum and me, we'd both like to have a
try, but you see this is how things stand—we can't wrestle in
uniform, but if you will lend us a costume we are game.'
"'Oh,' says the Guv'nor, 'I can do that, but if so, I can only give you
twenty-five francs if you downs me, and in case you don't, you will
have to deposit five francs for the loan of the costume.'
"Piatte says he is quite game, but the Guv'nor must make it five
francs for the two. He agrees to this, and he takes us to his caravan,
where we change our things. While we are doing this, the Guv'nor
he had gone back to the ring, and announced that two distinguished
ammytoors had accepted the challenge, he also goes to the outside
of his shanty and shouts out, 'There's going to be a grand match of
ammytoors versus professionals!'
"At the end of a few minutes he comes and calls us, 'Of course,' he
says, 'you can't both come on at the same time—which one of you
will come first?'
"'I'll go first,' Piatte says.
"'By gad,' the Guv'nor then exclaims, as Piatte got up from the
corner where he was sitting. 'By gad, you ain't much of a show in
uniform, but you are a strappin' 'un in fleshings. Too heavy a bit, and
clumsy-like, but you are the kind of chap I like to measure myself
with.' So they goes to the ring, and the Guv'nor presents Piatte as
the distinguished ammytoor who is going to have a go. Piatte makes
his bow to the spectators, and the fun begins. I watched it from a
chink in the tent. At first I didn't like the look of things. He was a
fine chap the Guv'nor, and he was on his mettle; he had got
scientific ways too, which told heavily on Piatte, but for all that he
did not last long, and Piatte felled his man. The crowd got mad like
at seeing the Guv'nor fairly beaten, and they gave Piatte a real
ovation. Piatte, businesslike, he catches hold of a hat, and makes a
collection among the spectators. He got fifteen francs, my boy, and
with the twenty-five francs he had won, that made forty. Now came
my turn, but when I was brought into the ring and presented to the
ladies and gentlemen, I noticed two of our Lieutenants and a
Captain who marches in just then. I couldn't go away, but I says to
myself that they will never recognise me, and we begin to wrestle.
The Guv'nor was tired, and he matched me with another chap. My
boy, 'twas a fight! It lasted more than twenty minutes, but at last I
downed my man, downed him straight and square, and laid him on
the two shoulders. When he gets up, the Guv'nor, who felt sicklike at
having lost his money, shouts 'Foul!' All the spectators took my part,
and the officers got quite excited, and said he would have to pay the
money whether he liked or not. Piatte, whose blood was up, he
jumped into the ring and threatened to go for the Guv'nor if he
didn't fork out at once. Seeing how things stood, the Guv'nor says as
he'll abide by the decision of the officers, so they jump into the ring.
They hadn't recognised me or Piatte up to then, and it was only
when one of them comes near me to tell me that I'm in the right,
that he stops suddenly, and stares at me, and cries, 'Why, you're a
Dragoon!'
"I was so taken aback that at first I didn't know what to say, but
seeing that none of the officers belonged to our squadron, I said at
last, quite bold like, 'Dragoon! sir! You're making a mistake.'
"The officer, a Lieutenant, then turns to the Captain and the other
Lieutenant, and says, 'Why, look, this chap's a Dragoon!'
"'D—d good fellow, if he is,' said the other Lieutenant.
"'Maybe,' says the Captain, 'but we can't have him disgracing his
uniform in this way.' He then whispered something to the
Lieutenants, and while they were talking, Piatte sneaked out and
went to dress. I slipped off too, but the Captain followed me and
caught me up at the steps of the caravan.
"'It is thus, then,' he said, 'that you disgrace your uniform.'
"'Beg your pardon, sir,' I says, 'but I didn't disgrace my uniform, for I
had no uniform on.' It was a pity I said that, because it made the
Captain real mad.
"'You have the impertinence to reply!' he then cries out; 'I had come
here only to lecture you, but as you dare answer me I'll punish you.
You will have eight days' Salle de Police for having exhibited
yourselves in public in a disgraceful way.' Just then he caught sight
of Piatte. 'Hallo! here's another one!' he says. 'You shall have eight
days too.'
"'Well, sir,' I says, 'if you will just allow me to say so, it was me who
answered you, and I didn't mean any impertinence; but if you
remember, you said that you only wanted to give me a lecture, and
'twas only because I answered you that you punished me, so would
you mind only punishing me, because Piatte there never answered
anything.'
"'You are a plucky one,' said the Captain, 'and a good comrade, but I
am sorry that I can't do what you ask me. You both have been guilty
of the same offence, and you must both be punished, but I'll reduce
your punishment to four days' Salle de Police.'
"He then wrote something on a card, and told me to give it to the
Sergeant of the Guard. 'Twas an order to put us in the lock-up there
and then, and you see we had dressed in such a hurry that we
forgot to take off our fleshings, and when the Guv'nor came to ask
for them, the Captain, who had waited until we were dressed, told
us to go straight to barracks as we were, and I told the Guv'nor that
he would get back his fleshings when he had paid us the 50 francs
he owed us. But it was rare fun, my boy," concluded Titi.
The following day Titi and Piatte were brought back to the cells at
eleven o'clock in the morning, the Colonel having upon the Captain's
report altered their punishment into fifteen days' prison.
During the next few days the Salle de Police was so crowded at night
that, with the exception of the seven prisoners, each of whom had a
straw mattress and thus his place marked out, the troopers were so
crammed together that they had to lie down on the planks huddled
together like herrings in a box.
I had already been twelve days in prison when I began to feel
extremely ill. I was suffering from fever and dysentery, probably due
to the vitiated air of the place, and it is a wonder to me now how we
all escaped typhoid fever. I asked for the doctor, and when he had
examined me, he gave orders that I should be immediately removed
to hospital, where I was detained for a fortnight before I recovered.
In February came the usual examination, after which the Captain
told me that he had hoped to be able to discharge me from the
service then, but that my behaviour prevented his doing so. I need
not describe for a second time the drudgery of our daily work, which
was a mere repetition of what I had gone through the previous year.
De Cormet never allowed a week to pass without sending me to the
Salle de Police on some pretext or other. Lieutenant Amy had also
taken a great dislike to me, but I am bound to confess that he never
punished me except on one occasion. It was during the month of
March; I had been ordered to command the company, and I had to
get executed the movement of "Shoulder arms." I was reciting the
theory, and explaining the movement as stated in the regulations,
when Sergeant de Cormet interrupted me in the middle of my
explanation, and told me that I was wrong. He made me begin
again, and when I once more reached the passage where he had
interrupted me, he asked why I altered the text of the regulations. I
replied that I did so because the previous year Sergeant Legros had
made us alter the passage, and had made us learn it as I was then
reciting it. "So," cried out de Cormet, "now you take it upon yourself
to alter the regulations which have been drawn up by the highest
authorities in the army!"
"No, Sergeant," I said, "I have not taken it upon myself, but was told
to do so."
"Don't tell lies," retorted the Sergeant; "you will have four days' Salle
de Police for not knowing your theory."
"But, Sergeant," I said, "you can inquire from Sergeant-major Legros
whether I am telling you the truth or not."
"You dare answer!" shouted the Sergeant. Just then Lieutenant Amy
came along, and hearing a row inquired what was the matter. "It's
Decle, of course, sir," de Cormet told him.
"What has he done?" queried the Lieutenant.
"The gentleman finds that the regulations are not correct, and he
takes it upon himself to correct them, and has the impertinence to
answer me that they are written in bad French."
"I am sick of the fellow," replied the Lieutenant; "are you mad,
Decle?" he asked.
"No, sir," I answered very calmly, "and I wish to observe that
Sergeant de Cormet has not correctly reported what I just now said
to him."
"You scoundrel!" exclaimed the Lieutenant. "You have the
impudence to tell me that your Sergeant is a liar! You will have four
days' prison." I knew by experience that to complain, or appeal to
the Colonel, would only mean an increase of my punishment, and I
therefore quietly prepared myself to go to prison when I returned to
barracks. The overcrowding of the Salle de Police had become so
great by that time that a special lock-up was used for the prisoners,
which was similar to the Salle, but much smaller. I had once more
Titi for a companion, as he had been up to some more tricks, and he
was waiting his trial before Conseil de discipline, which had been
convened to decide whether he should be sent to a punishment
battalion in Africa to finish his time or service there. He didn't feel
much depressed at the idea. "It will be a change, old chap," he used
to say to me, "and I don't suppose that I shall be bullied there more
than I am here; besides, I have only one year and a half more to
serve, and that will soon be over." It was this fact which saved him,
and he was acquitted by a majority of one, although the General
bestowed sixty days' prison on him for his last prank. (He had for the
third time absconded for five days.)
I had taken Conway's book to the prison, in order to finish its
translation, and only ten pages more were left, when one of the
Majors happened to walk in. The door stood open to admit the
trooper who was bringing our food, and I had no time to put away
my MS. The Major pounced upon it. "That's how you occupy your
time," he said; "give me all those papers." I had to hand them over
to him, and he tore them up and chucked the pieces into the slop-
pail. So ended my first literary attempt.
The four days I spent in prison, coupled with the moral state of
despair into which I had fallen, had pretty well broken me down in
health. I suffered from incessant headaches and rheumatic pains,
and I had to be sent to hospital once more on coming out of prison.
All my thoughts were by that time concentrated upon devising some
means of leaving the hell the regiment had become to me. Desertion
was out of the question, not that it would have been difficult for me
to pass into Belgium, or cross over to England, but I had too much
respect for myself and my family to turn a common deserter.
 CHAPTER XVI
I have omitted to mention that in compliance with the regulations I
had been obliged, before being taken to the prison, to hand over to
my Sergeant-major whatever money or jewellery I had at the time.
Accordingly I handed over to Sergeant-major Vaillant my gold watch
and chain, £30 in bank-notes, and two valuable rings, only keeping
with me a few pounds in gold and silver, which I carefully hid. The
day before I was to leave prison, the Sergeant-major came to see
me, and explained that as he was going away on leave he wanted to
give me back my belongings. This he did, and he further reminded
me that he owed me a long-standing gambling debt of £5, and this
he also handed over to me. He added that he might be a long time
away, and that I could render him a great service by lending him
some civilian clothes. He had allowed me to keep in his room a suit
of clothes and an overcoat, and I told him that he was very welcome
to them. I also offered to lend him some money, and suggested his
paying me the gambling debt on his return; but he absolutely
refused to accept either offer. He then bade me good-bye, and I
thought no more of the matter until a week later, when de Lanoy
having come to see me in hospital, startled me by saying that
Sergeant-major Vaillant had deserted, having absconded the day
before I left prison, and that he was further accused by the Captain
of having stolen 31 francs from the moneys belonging to the
squadron. I assured de Lanoy that it was quite impossible that
Vaillant should have stolen the money, and I told him how he had
repaid me the large amount I had entrusted him with, and even £5
that he owed me, and de Lanoy agreed with me that if 32 francs
(about 25s.) was missing from the squadron money it was a pure
mistake, and not a theft. The following day Captain Hermann, who,
as will be remembered, was in command of our squadron, came to
the hospital and walked to my bed.
"I am afraid, Decle," he began, "that you are going to find yourself
in Queer Street. You probably know that Sergeant-major Vaillant has
deserted, but I should like to know if you are aware that he has run
off with money belonging to the squadron, and that he has further
stolen your civilian clothes?"
"Yes, sir," I said, "I heard that Sergeant-major Vaillant had deserted,
but he has not stolen my clothes, for the good reason that I lent
them to him; and I don't believe either that he has stolen any
money from the squadron."
"Just so," said the Captain; "what you have told me fully confirms
my information. You have helped the Sergeant-major to desert, and
you have given him £30 to help him to do so."
I grew indignant. "I do not know, sir," I replied, "where you derived
your information from. Far from having received money from me,
the Sergeant-major came to me while I was in prison and returned
the £30 I had entrusted him with, together with my jewellery, when
I was sent to prison, so that you see that you have been quite
misinformed."
"It's all very well for you to say so," replied the Captain, "but I have
only your word for it, while I have distinct information that you lent
him £30, and that further he stole your clothes, and that you did not
lend them to him. Of course you must remember that, if it is proved
that you lent the Sergeant-major the money I have mentioned, you
will be court-martialled as an accessory to his desertion. If you want,
however, to avoid the serious consequences of your act, I am
prepared to overlook it provided that you swear that Sergeant-major
Vaillant has stolen your clothes."
"I am sorry I cannot do so, sir," I replied, "as that would be
committing perjury. I have previously lent the Sergeant-major my
clothes on several occasions, and I also lent them to him in the
present instance. As to being court-martialled for having lent him
£30, I am in no way afraid of the consequences, for I can prove by
my solicitor's account that I did not lend him the money, unless I
stole it myself. In fact," I added, "I can produce at once the very
bank-notes he handed over to me." And so saying, I pulled my
pocket-book from under the pillow, and showed the Captain the
money.
"Oh," he said, "I know you've got money, but that does not prove
that you did not lend the £30. However, you can please yourself; I
have warned you, and whatever happens will be your own fault."
"Yes, sir," I answered, "I fully understand."
The Captain retired, but a quarter of an hour later he returned and
insisted upon my swearing that the Sergeant-major had stolen my
clothes. He even went so far as to promise me, or at least to make
me understand, that if I pleased him in the matter, he would see
that I was released from the regiment after the following
examination. But I was obdurate, and frankly told the Captain that I
quite understood his motives, and realised why he was so anxious
that I should give testimony as to the theft of my clothes, for
otherwise he would not be able to obtain Vaillant's extradition from
whatever country he might have taken refuge in, and I once more
declared that whatever might be the consequences I would not
commit perjury.
The Captain retired in great wrath. The following day the doctor told
me that I would have to be at the gendarmerie at two o'clock.
When I arrived there I found an old Corporal of the gendarmes
sitting at a table, with another gendarme standing near him. He
asked for my name, regimental number, and, as usual in France, I
had also to give him full particulars about my father and mother.
Having taken all this down, he told me to put up my right hand, and
to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Having thus
administered the oath to me he began to question me.
"You had a suit of civilian clothes?" he first asked.
"Well," I replied, "I had, and still have, a good many."
"Why do you have a good many?"
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