MADAGASCAR. 5 L.A.S. "Léon" [Segret], Mahatinsjo and Tamatav - Lot 512

MADAGASCAR. 5 L.A.S. "Léon" [Segret], Mahatinsjo and Tamatave, 1896-1897, to his sister Marie and brother-in-law Caldéol; 29 pages in-8. Interesting account of the life of a non-commissioned officer during the Madagascar campaign: picturesque account of a Malagasy funeral, the difficult life in a very harsh climate, the low spirits of the natives in the Malagasy companies, mentioning Gallieni "who had his head cut off by a few big Hovas", his illness which landed him in hospital where he almost died of "Madagascar fever": "I would never have believed that Madagascar was so unhealthy [....] We don't hear any news about what's going on in the interior, we don't hear about anything [...] We live among pigs, oxen, cows, the dogs we use for hunting, and this band of Malagasy soldiers and women who are absolutely savages and lack any courage or good will; in fact, we do everything except military service. There was talk 2 days ago of forming a column that would head towards a post that has been set on fire, but we still have no precise news. I wouldn't be sorry to be part of it, and believe me, I'll do everything I can to get there. .... In a final, moving letter from the hospital, he describes how ill he is, the fever never leaving him... Enclosed are 10 letters from Émile Segret to the same people during the Algerian campaign of 1885-1886; plus 10 other letters from the same source and a handwritten sheet listing the routes from Marseille to Diego-Suarez (outward and return), for sending mail.