Show TIE FIGIITKVG ZOUA YES hel ietureHfinc Attire Dlsnjjpcnr c 11 After thc First Years of the Val j Perhaps the most famous body of soldiers sol-diers of modern times has been the French corps called the zouaves This body of daring and picturesquely attired at-tired fighters reachethe t height of its r reputation in the CjJrimean vtar > in 1855 1 which was fought between the Russians on one side anti the Tytl French I English and Italians tes the other I t 4 iiJ < y ij i The zouave corps at that time was supposed to consist of Frenchmen but was really quite international Many daring young foreign adventurers had joined it and i was known to include in its ranks graduates of Osford PariS Gottengen and many other universities I is probable that a majority of its members were in it more for love of fighting than for love of country Under such circumstances it is not strange that its fame as a fighting body should have spread all over the word says a writer in the Youths Companion When the civil war broke out in the United States several corps of zouaves who wore the glittering oriental uniform of the French corps or a modification of i were formed on both sides of the conflict Generally this uniform consisted of baggy red trousers short blue braided jacket gaiters and close fitting cap with a sort cJ a tail hanging down behind the head One of the most famous of these smaJ corps of zouaves was that commanded com-manded by Elmer Ellsworth a young New Yorker He was the first officer killed on the Union side in the wal and for that reason his name has lived as a popular hero On the confederate side the Louisiana Tigers were a famous fa-mous corps of zouave fighters As the war went on and hard work persistent endurance bravery in merely standing up to be shot and suppression of self became the cardinal virtues of a soldier rather more than mere dash > or picturesque audacity the zouave uniform disappeared and the name so fa as America was concerned con-cerned became almost forgotten name In France however the zouave and uniform still survive Only lately the French gtierniment has ordered home from Algeria a company from each of the several zouave battallions to be stationed in the detached parts of France and used as the nucleus of use new zouave corps in case of war with I any foreign country The way in which the French military I the tary men induce emulation among divers corps of their army is Illustrated j i by a history of the Second zouaves a I corps serving in Africa which was lately late-ly told in Paris I During a long and terrible march in I Algeria under a blistering sun this corps had been following al day a battalion bat-talion of famous marchers the Eighth Chaseurs a pied or longlegged foot cavalry Both corps were tired hungry hun-gry faint and inclined to complain The zouaves averaged much shorter and squattier than the foot chasseurs Toward evening the expedition arrived ar-rived near a town The commandant of the chasseurs halted them and made a speech couched in slangy terms such as would please the men asking them I i > f they wished to make an entry into this town worthy of the best marchers in the army I answered Yes the chasseurs So he formed them in parade order and with bugles blowing they marched I into the town though every man was half dead at a surprising quickstep I The zouaves who were close behind saw this with Indignation Their colonel I I colo-nel halted them too and made them a speech in French which would translate trans-late in English about as follows Look at that you rascals Are you going to take the bluff of a set of gawks like those Never the zoua e screamed So their colonel had the roll sounded These zouaves like ali others have a sort of gymnastic drill in which they do a great deal of running and some very active manipulation of their muskets mus-kets The order for this drill was given So the zouaves who but a moment before had been ready to sink entered the town at a prancing run swinging their guns about fantastically And the chasseurs were duly humiliated |