I am a refined man and a poet by nature, and I suffered tortures from the coarse horror of my surroundings.

There was a drill sergeant, and he had a cane.

Ah, that cane, how it curled! Alas, never can I forget it! 'One morning came the news; my battalion was ordered to Tonquin.
The drill sergeant and the other coarse monsters rejoiced.
I -- I made enquiries about Tonquin.

They were not satisfactory.
In Tonquin are savage Chinese who rip you open.

My artistic tastes -- for I am also an artist -- recoiled from the idea of being ripped open.