"
"Many of us," said a Sergeant, "did not need to come back because owing
to having received serious wounds the first time we were excused from
further military service--but they all came back none the less. Here's
one man who had nine wounds, from bullets and shell splinters, and this
one was shot through the lungs, but you're all right again, aren't you?
and this one is going back, although he has a wife and six children at
home."
It was an interesting revelation as to the morale of the German
reinforcements.
At 9 o'clock in the morning the troop transport stopped for refreshments
at the French village of X, and here a funny phenomenon was witnessed.
From all sides the shrewd inhabitants of the village came running,
scores of them, with bottles of wine. The laughing German soldiers got
out and, negotiating over a picket fence, returned with the refreshments
while the inhabitants made off with German coin. I saw bottles of
champagne change hands here for the sum of 25 cents. In spite of the
cheapness of wine, however, the German soldier is well disciplined and
does not "go the limit"; I have never seen an intoxicated specimen
afield.
One of the soldiers told the following story to illustrate the iron
discipline enforced in the Kaiser's army in the case of the inevitable
black sheep: "A Frenchwoman, who kept a small tavern, came to our
commandant and complained because a Bavarian soldier had wantonly turned
the spigot and allowed a whole cask of red wine to run out on the
ground.
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