"My wife has advised me to surrender, but you are terrible soldiers—you certainly would massacre me."
Some hours later the reply of the marines came to reassure him that everything would be all right.
This tableau lasted several days and "Jean Gouin" ended by believing that it was a ruse of the enemy and ceased to write. Finally a message came to them, drifting along in the bottle:
"To-night I will come along the slope of the canal. Do not shoot at me. I am the father of four children."
And so, when night fell, they saw a big, black mass creeping along the edge of the bluff. Our fusiliers were ready to spring, but he was alone.
With his two guardians the deserter was taken a roundabout way. They passed along the whole first line of the north sector because the two Marines wanted to parade the boche before their comrades.
They were proud of this capture and gave their prisoner cigarettes, and bread, and one of them had the generosity to slip a box of singe[13] into his pocket!
They led him farther, almost to the road to Lombaertzyde, to show him to the Zouaves, and finally took the road for Brigade Headquarters.
In the sector held by the 2nd Regiment of Marine Fusiliers they discussed this incident for a long time.