erghem and we had a supporting gun, with infantry,
at Souvenir Farm and also at a redoubt near by, called "S-5." Our
front-line guns were distributed from the Neuve Eglise road to the
northern end of our battalion frontage, about "C-3."

These numbers refer to certain locations on the map, and the cabarets
are not exactly such as one is accustomed to seeing in American
cities. They are, or were, inns, such as in England would be called
public houses and in America, road houses. In Flemish they are
_herbergs_, but these happened to bear French names, hence were called
cabarets. One can not help wondering at the indiscriminate manner in
which French and Flemish names are used in this corner of the world.
Neuve Eglise, Bailleul, Dranoutre and Locre are all mixed up with
Wolverghem, Ploegstert, Wytschaete and Lindhoek: Ypres and Dickebusch
are neighbors; while St. Julian and Langemarck lie side by side, as do
Groot Vierstraat and LaClytte. Look at a map of West Flanders and the
adjoining parts of France and you will see what I mean.

Just as we arrived at the Battalion Headquarters the signal was
sounded, "German up," which is the short way of saying that an enemy
airplane is approaching, so we were obliged to take cover and remain
quiet for some time. We were near a group of farm buildings and, going
inside, found that former occupants had left elaborate records of
their visits. Among other mural decorations were some rough sketches
drawn by Captain Bairnsfather, which afterward became famous as
"Fragments from France."

This suggests another interesting field for speculation. Why is it
that all men, regardless of race, creed or color, have an inborn
craving to inscribe their names on walls and trees and rocks,
especially on walls other than those of their own home? Wherever you
go, all over the world, you will find the carved or written record
stating that, at such and such a date, John Doe, of Oskaloosa, Iowa,
honored the place with his presence. The buildings of Flanders and
France are storehouses of historical records. From them the historian
could almost reconstruct the campaigns of the war. Would it not not
be an interesting task to make a thorough search of all the old
buildings and dug-outs, just as the archeologists have been doing in
Egypt and all the ancient habitations of mankind? The prehistoric
caves of Spain or the cliff dwellings of the Colorado could not be
more interesting than a compilation of these r