us; I think they had got used to the ways of
the British soldier and found him not such a bad fellow after all. It
was pleasant to see the country folks round here after our stay in
Flanders, comely and straight, members of a thoroughbred race. The
contrast was rather forcible perhaps.

The Brigade Interpreter in 1916, Monsieur Bunge, a native of Le Havre,
was a pleasant, lively sort of person, always ready for a joke and an
admirer of the British. With him I got on very well; and I learnt one
or two things of the French from him. One of them was how sensitive
they are in small matters of conversation. If in your heavy English
way you did not respond at once with animation to his remarks, M.
Bunge thought he had offended you.

They are a very sensitive race, especially in matters of courtesy. The
colder manner and bearing of the British must have been a sore trial
to them till they got to understand them--especially if they were
laying themselves out to be friendly. It is worth while to let
yourself go a bit in the matter of speech and bearing when talking to
them. And, above all things, if you want to please them, try to talk
to them in French, however badly, for they all take it as a great
compliment. Another thing I discovered was the unwillingness of the
French officers to take the initiative in saluting; yet they would
never fail to return such a courtesy. Perhaps their earlier
experiences in this little matter had been discouraging. It is much
the same with the poilus and farmer folk. If you wish them 'Bonjour'
they would invariably respond and also salute.

Later on I had a day or two in Amiens which provided some impressions
of the French soldiers. The officers there contrasted rather forcibly
with our own, I remember. They were very smartly dressed in
home-parade uniforms, wore their medals, and carried themselves with
an admirable pride and spirit. Our officers, on the other hand,
dressed in the homely khaki, often the worse for wear, had generally
an air of war-weariness. No doubt most of our men had come almost
straight from the battle-field and were enjoying only a few hours'
relaxation in this fine city. Still it made one reflect that the
French are indeed a nation of soldiers which we are not. We obviously
have not the same pride in the paraphernalia of war, and that shows
which way the wind blows. I also saw a number of poilus going on leave
and returning to the line. They looked very quiet and patien