Word: french
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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...blinding heat, a French army patrol wound deep into the Atlas Mountains last week. Ambling, loose-jointed came a detachment of the Camel Corps, then a sweltering khaki-clad detachment of the Foreign Legion, finally a black-skinned, red-fezzed detachment of stalwart Senegalese. The column entered the pass called El Bordj. Nothing is there but blistering rocks, flat, cracked stretches of baked mud. The French column, losing contact with their flank outposts, pushed forward intent on reaching the evening's camp...
Suddenly from the rocks behind and above came the smash of rifle fire. Soldiers fell. Hastily the French commander flung out a skirmish line, halted the advance. His little patrol was completely ambushed by 3,000 ragged, bearded, fierce-fighting Moors. Firing every inch of the way the French patrol retreated through the pass to the cement blockhouse of Ait Yacoub (Jacob's Hummock). For 48 hours the garrison of 360 French and Senegalese stood off 3,000 yelling bloodthirsty tribesmen owing allegiance to no recognized Sheikh, who had sworn to die rather than submit to French rule...
...French army headquarters at Rabat, 100 miles away, moved quickly to rescue the beleaguered garrison. Three squadrons of bombing planes zoomed into the air. Eight thousand troops of the Foreign Legion soaped their horny feet, filled their canteens with good red pinard in preparation for the long march to Ait Yacoub...
...broke his vows and joined the army. It is often said that none but a Frenchman can hope to rise above the rank of Captain in the Foreign Legion. But it is also true that one need not explain all one's antecedents to the Legion. Anything but French in appearance, red-thatched Freydenberg nevertheless had such Gallic dash that he became Major, Colonel, and after the Moroccan campaign of 1926 against Abd-El-Krim, General of Brigade...
...contributed nothing to the success of the trip and almost turned it to disaster, writes his own account of the flight and the American people read it avidly, admire his nerve, and save up confetti for his reception when he returns to New York. The French aviators have shown almost unbelievable restraint and courtesy towards Schrieber, but that surely does not justify our dismissal of his action in endangering the lives of three men in a foolhardy gesture...