| Show 0 adventurers 1 CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE Fl 49 death in the foreign legion ELLO EVERYBODY HP 1 i heres a yarn from north africa and the sahara country a land always been full of adventure and for us folks here at home I 1 got the bug once and went there looking for thrills I 1 well ive got to confess that I 1 found more fleas there than but ive also gotto got to admit that theres plenty of adventure there too so you can bet your last nickel that yarn from lieutenant pierre varges of queens N Y late of the french foreign legion will be one of those tales that makes your heart pound and your hair stand up on end it happened on april 16 1923 during the uprising of the riff babilas under the leadership of abd el krim pierre varges was then a sergeant in the 2nd and co battalion of the legion stationed at el harib morocco april found the battalion on a punitive expedition at the borders of the sahara they had been chasing the riffs miffs for some time and finally on the they came upon them entrenched in the hills just at daybreak they were sniping at the legionnaires and doing quite a bit of damage several times the legion baires tried to drive them from their position but to no avail finally the captain of the second company received orders from the commanding officer to dislodge them at all cost second company gets orders to advance the second company started to advance orders to charge were passed down the line to the section officers the legionnaires spread out and waited for the captains whistle the arabs sensing what was coming redoubled their fire the whistle sounded the charge was on 1 I have a hazy memory of what followed says pierre the screams of the wounded and the sickening noises of the bullets make you forget you are human the world ceases to be and you become an automaton intent on one purpose to kill my section was one of the first way out in front and sacred pig that charge was fast A scream V IP X 46 my head was swathed in bandages and I 1 was tied to the cot still unable to move ing thundering surf of legionnaires swarmed up from au all sides one of my men fell writhing at my feet no time to stop to help then suddenly the world seemed to explode in my head Dark the end pierre says he will never be sure what happened between then and two a m of the following day but at that hour he started to regain consciousness 1 I tried to open my eyes he says but they felt as if they were glued shut I 1 just move them panic seized me I 1 know if I 1 was dead or alive there seemed to be a terrible weight on top of me all over me I 1 tried to move my arms and my legs but I 1 could not I 1 tried to call for help but no sounds came from my throat no doubt I 1 was dead seconds passed pierres brain began to clear lie ile noticed he was breathing and dead men breathe then slowly the horror of the situation began to dawn on him ile he dead HE WAS BURIED ALIVE right then and there pierre went insane 1 I yelled and screamed like a thousand furies he says 1 I heard a shot a series of muffled sounds then silence again once more I 1 lost consciousness for how long I 1 dont know but when I 1 again awoke I 1 was on a cot in the field hospital oi of our post my head was swathed in bandages and I 1 was tied to the cot still unable to move doctor explains terrible ride to pierre what had happened had he been having a nightmare pierre turned his head though it pained him to do it and looked about the tent in the next cot lay a private tied to his cot in the same fashion as pierre was pierre spoke to him but he answer then he called louder just to hear his own voice after all he had been through he even sure he had one at the sound the doctor the captain and a male attendant entered the doctor spoke a few words with the captain then both of them approached pierres bed well old fellow said the captain how is the living dead man those words came so close to confirming pierres own suspicions that they frightened him the captain saw that I 1 was upset saw that I 1 grasp the meaning words says pierre so he proceeded to explain A rico chette bullet had struck me in the right temple producing a ghastly looking wound which knocked me unconscious the stretcher bearers thinking me dead put me on the dead wagon that is user used to cart all corpses to the legion post As the casualties that day were extraordinarily heavy they placed the bodies on top of one another the reason I 1 could not move when I 1 regained consciousness was that I 1 was buried beneath a dozen or more of my dead companions about the time the captain got to that part of his story pierre put in a question but mom capitaine he interrupted what of my eyes I 1 was unable to open them naturally the captain answered your face was covered with the blood of your dead comrades which seeped down from above the blood coagulated over your face and completely sealed scaled your eyes and even your nostrils it is a miracle that you did not suffocate entirely at that moment the legionnaire tied to the cot beside pierres lot out an unearthly scream the doctor went to him and gave him a an n opiate the captain nodded toward him and said to pierre you had a most horrible experience my friend but that one is even more upset than you over it that is the sentry who was on duty near the dead wagon when you let out those so terrifying screams released by western newspaper union |
