Beau Geste

In the first place, there was the old standing trouble about the Shuwa Patrol; in the second, the truculent Chiboks were waxing insolent again, and their young men were regarding not the words of their elders concerning Sir Garnet Wolseley, and what happened, long, long ago, after the battle of Chibok Hill. Thirdly, the price of grain had risen to six shillings a saa, and famine threatened; fourthly, the Shehu and Shuwa sheiks were quarrelling again; and, fifthly, there was a very bad smallpox ju-ju abroad in the land (a secret society whose "secret" was to offer His Majesty's liege subjects the choice between being infected with smallpox, or paying heavy blackmail to the society). Lastly, there was acrimonious correspondence with the All-Wise Ones (of the Secretariat in "Aiki Square" at Zungeru), who, as usual, knew better than the man on the spot, and bade him do either the impossible or the disastrous. And across all the Harmattan was blowing hard, that terrible wind that carries the Saharan dust a hundred miles to sea, not so much as a sand-storm, but as a mist or fog of dust as fine as flour, filling the eyes, the lungs, the pores of the skin, the nose and throat; getting into the locks of rifles, the works of watches and cameras, defiling water, food and everything else; rendering life a burden and a curse. The fact, moreover, that thirty days' weary travel over burning desert, across oceans of loose wind-blown sand and prairies of burnt grass, through breast-high swamps, and across unbridged boatless rivers, lay between him and Kano, added nothing to his satisfaction. For, in spite of all, satisfaction there was, inasmuch as Kano was rail-head, and the beginning of the first stage of the journey Home. That but another month lay between him and "leave out of Africa," kept George Lawrence on his feet. From that wonderful and romantic Red City, Kano, sister of Timbuktu, the train would take him, after a three days' dusty journey, to the rubbish-heap called Lagos, on the Bight of Benin of the wicked West African Coast. There he would embark on the good ship Appam, greet her commander, Captain Harrison, and sink into a deck chair with that glorious sigh of relief, known in its perfection only to those weary ones who turn their backs upon the Outposts and set their faces towards Home. Meantime, for George Lawrence--disappointment, worry, frustration, anxiety, heat, sand-flies, mosquitoes, dust, fatigue, fever, dysentery, malarial ulcers, and that great depression which comes of monotony indescribable, weariness unutterable, and loneliness unspeakable.

Le "catalogue dé-raisonné" de l'ensemble de la production imprimée de la maison d'édition indépendante Beau Geste Press, qui fédéra poètes visuels, néo-dadaïstes et artistes internationaux affiliés à la mouvance Fluxus entre 1971 et 1976.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Beau Geste" by Percival Christopher Wren. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Beau Ideal" by Percival Christopher Wren. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Embark on an unforgettable journey with P. C. Wren's classic novel "Beau Geste". This timeless tale follows the story of the Geste brothers, who join the Foreign Legion in search of adventure and a new beginning. As you read through this gripping story, you'll be captivated by the characters' experiences and the challenges they face in their quest for honor, loyalty, and redemption. With its engaging narrative and vivid descriptions, this book offers a unique perspective on the importance of courage, resilience, and brotherhood in overcoming adversity and finding one's place in the world. As you delve into the pages of this timeless novel, you'll be captivated by the Geste brothers' adventures and the challenges they face. The engaging storytelling and rich descriptions add depth to this unforgettable story, offering a comprehensive understanding of the principles of courage, resilience, and brotherhood in the face of adversity. But here's the twist that will keep you engaged: How do the Geste brothers' experiences in "Beau Geste" demonstrate the power of courage, resilience, and brotherhood in overcoming challenges and finding one's place in the world? This novel invites you to reflect, learn, and ponder the significance of these qualities in shaping one's character and understanding of the world. It also encourages you to embrace the power of loyalty and the importance of standing by one's family and friends. Explore the intricate details of the Geste brothers' adventures, where each challenge serves as a testament to the power of courage, resilience, and brotherhood in overcoming adversity. The gripping storytelling and engaging narrative create a reading experience like no other, inviting you to ponder the intricacies of personal growth and the importance of loyalty through the lens of P. C. Wren's timeless tale. Are you prepared to embark on the unforgettable journey presented in P. C. Wren's "Beau Geste"? Indulge in the world of honor, loyalty, and redemption as presented in this captivating novel. The engaging storytelling and vivid descriptions in "Beau Geste" provoke reflection and inspire a deeper understanding of the importance of courage, resilience, and brotherhood in overcoming challenges and finding one's place in the world. This novel offers a unique perspective on the transformative power of loyalty and the importance of standing by one's family and friends. Here's your chance to explore the unforgettable journey of courage, resilience, and brotherhood through the lens of P. C. Wren's classic tale. This is more than a story of the Foreign Legion; it's a tale of honor, loyalty, and redemption that teaches valuable lessons about life and personal growth. Will you dare to embark on this unforgettable exploration of courage, resilience, and brotherhood? Seize the opportunity to own a piece of timeless wisdom. Purchase "Beau Geste" now, and let the engaging blend of storytelling and vivid descriptions transport you into the life-changing world of P. C. Wren's tale of courage, resilience, and brotherhood.

The gripping true story of the French Foreign Legion in the Sahara. Ever since the 1920s the popular legend of the French Foreign Legion has been formed by P.C. Wren's novel BEAU GESTE - a world of remote forts, warrior tribes, and desperate men of all nationalities enlisting under pseudonyms to fight and die under the desert sun. As with all clichés, the reality is far richer and more surprising than this. In this book Martin Windrow describes desert battles and famous last stands in gripping detail - but he also shows exactly what the Foreign Legion were doing in North Africa in the first place. He explains how French colonial methods there actually had their roots in the jungles of Vietnam, and how the political pressures that kept the empire expanding can be traced to battles on the streets of Paris itself. His description of the Berber tribesmen of Morocco also reveals some disturbing modern parallels: the formidable guerrillas of the 1920s were inspired by an Islamic fundamentalist who was adept at using the world's media to further his cause. Martin Windrow's previous book THE LAST VALLEY received fabulous reviews across the English-speaking world. This unique book, which is the first to examine the 'golden age' of the Foreign Legion has followed suit.

There never lived a more honourable, upright, scrupulous gentleman than Major Hugh Walsingham Greene, and there seldom lived a duller, narrower, more pompous or more irascible one. Nor, when the Great War broke out, and gave him something fresh to do and to think about, were there many sadder and unhappier men. His had been a luckless and unfortunate life, what with his two wives and his one son; his excellent intentions and deplorable achievements; his kindly heart and harsh exterior; his narrow escapes of decoration, recognition and promotion. At cards he was not lucky—and in love he . . . well—his first wife, whom he adored, died after a year of him; and his second ran away after three months of his society. She ran away with Mr. Charles Stayne-Brooker (elsewhere the Herr Doktor Karl Stein-Brücker), the man of all men, whom he particularly and peculiarly loathed. And his son, his only son and heir! The boy was a bitter disappointment to him, turning out badly—a poet, an artist, a musician, a wretched student and “intellectual,” a fellow who won prizes and scholarships and suchlike by the hatful, and never carried off, or even tried for, a “pot,” in his life. Took after his mother, poor boy, and was the first of the family, since God-knows-when, to grow up a dam’ civilian. Father fought and bled in Egypt, South Africa, Burma, China, India; grandfather in the Crimea and Mutiny, great-grandfather in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, ancestors with Marlborough, the Stuarts, Drake—scores of them: and this chap, his son, theirdescendant, a wretched creature of whom you could no more make a soldier than you could make a service saddle of a sow’s ear! It was a comfort to the Major that he only saw the nincompoop on the rare occasions of his visits to England, when he honestly did his best to hide from the boy (who worshipped him) that he would sooner have seen him win one cup for boxing, than a hundred prizes for his confounded literature, art, music, classics, and study generally. To hide from the boy that the pæans of praise in his school reports were simply revolting—fit only for a feller who was going to be a wretched curate or wretcheder schoolmaster; to hide his distaste for the pale, slim beauty, which was that of a delicate girl rather than of the son of Major Hugh Walsingham Greene. . . . Too like his poor mother by half—and without one quarter the pluck, nerve, and “go” of young Miranda Walsingham, his kinswoman and playmate. . . . Too dam’ virtuous altogether.

The third in a series of novels on the French Foreign Legion service of Michael, Digby and John Geste.

Jeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's a teen who's in remission, but life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and "find himself." Jeffrey has a little soul searching to do, too, which begins with his escalating anger at Steven, an old friend who is keeping something secret, and a girl who is way out of his league but who thinks he's cute.

Laurence Wylie (1919-1995), a renowned scholar and teacher of French at Harvard, assembled this collection of French conventional gestures after studying at the Jacques Lecoq school of mime in Paris. The more than 60 photographs of him portraying the gestures are not only a delightful introduction to French "body talk" but also a stimulating insight into French culture and an excellent way to engage students of French. The Advanced Reasoning Forum is pleased to make available again this charming book first published in 1977.