The reason for the heavy impositions put on the people is of Jeourse that the leaders of the First 'Army must find wherewithal to arm the new troops they are constantly raising, and to purchase munitions. Tt might be thought they would need money to pay the troops, but that does not seem necessary. Indeed it seems a part of the settled' Policy of the various contending armies to give their troops no wages or at least to keep them #0 fin arrears that it is never a paying proposition for a soldier to run off, neither has he usually the wherewithal to do so, or even money for incidental expenses, They are. fed—comparatively well fed too—and decently clad. They work hard, and have plenty of drill ing. Not' a. few are discontented, bat hardly ever do they dare to say anything openly against their oticers. The other day I accompanied a tall soldierly youth for Fame miles on the road from the He was a deserter it was! fairly clear, but _he naturally did not admit it Still he had so obviously an inside knowledge of the First Army that I asked hi if soldiering was a good job. "Not in the First Army," he replied, "There is nothing but drill day and night and the soldiers never get pay." Rather a gloomy picture perhaps, but to a slouching Kansu farmer ' Jad, the military have few attractions now.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.