His face was horribly pockmarked from the syphilis
he had contracted. In a fortnight you will have your papers and be transferred
toLyons, he said. There was always murder in his eyes, asneaking back-biting
murder.
There was a broadsatisfied grin on his face when he
left.
Because I enlisted for five years and my time was
up three weeks ago.
The stairs were very unsafe during the middle of
the night. He had hadsyphilis, and he warned us all not to drink from his cup or use
hiseating utensils.
He was hated and avoided byevery one in the room.
There is really no earthly reason why you are here, he said. When anything like that
occurred there was astir in the barracks for about a day, and then a
hush.
The pasts of most of the wives of these high
officials seemed to havebeen anything but brilliant.
He was sulky and had not much to say, and even in
return for thecigars I brought him.
Surely it must have been in a momentof mental
aberration, or under the influence of drink.
If he deserts under three monthshe can only get
about thirty days prison, at most two months.
I allowed myself small hope as to thehow
soon.
We had to supply ourselves with soap for washing
our clothes; it wasnot supplied by the Government. He was the sort of aperson who
meant well but always did the wrong thing.
When anything like that occurred there was astir in
the barracks for about a day, and then a hush.
He never talked to any one in the room unless it
was to makesome biting venomous remark.
To every ones surprise three days permission was
granted to me andGrothé. But the lies were usually soobvious that they could not do
any one any harm.
Andyou, Wolters, he said turning to him, are not to
do it any more.
To every ones surprise three days permission was
granted to me andGrothé.
When Ilooked round Wolters had already left the
room. But I will tell you what I can do for you. The only thingthat interested him
was money. I am a ladies coiffeur and I dont wantto be a mens barber. If he deserts
under three monthshe can only get about thirty days prison, at most two months. It
was late when Grothé and I arrived at Algiers.
Some of thesights we saw are quite
indescribable.
They were interested to hear about the Legion, but
I heldback.
That was his story; how true it was, especiallythe
latter part of it, is a matter of conjecture.