"As Men, General!"

At a surprisingly cleanly officers' mess in the noisome Gran Chaco last week neutral Argentine General Martinez Pita genially introduced the two grim commanders whose armies battled each other savagely for years until the recent truce (TIME, June 24). Silently big Bolivia's tenacious General Enrique Penaranda, who was nearly defeated, gripped hands with small Paraguay's resourceful General Jose Felix Estigarribia who came so near to winning that it is rumored he will get a life pension of 1,500 gold pesos. After an exchange of champagne toasts all present mellowed.

"General Penaranda," said General Estigarribia, "I take advantage of these happy circumstances to declare on behalf of Paraguay that your army, against which we fought for three years, is doubtless one of the best and most courageous in the world."

"General Estigarribia, your words are a profound honor," cried General Penaranda, "and my country's army also acknowledges in your army the highest military virtues. We fought as men do, General Estigarribia!"

When they parted General Penaranda was wearing General Estigarribia's pistol. "I carried this weapon with me during the whole campaign, General Penaranda!" the giver explained. "On this day, General Penaranda, there is nothing better than to leave it in your hands as a personal souvenir."

Bolivians and Paraguayans, hoping devoutly that they will not have to fight any more, accepted this fraternizing of their generals as a good omen that their diplomats are arriving at acceptable terms of peace during the continued truce.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.