an's Land. Now they
were far back from the blazing front in a comparatively peaceful country
beyond the sound of the guns. If their lot at that time was to be
characterised as "war," then in the opinion of those Germans, war was
not what Sherman said it was.

Their attitude more resembled that of the unkissed spinster who was
taken captive when the invading army captured the town. She flung
herself into the arms of the surprised commander of the invaders and
smilingly whispered, "War is war."

The German prison camps at St. Nazaire were inspected by General
Pershing on the third day of the American landing when he, with his
staff, arrived from Paris. The General and his party arrived early in
the morning in a pouring rain. The American commander-in-chief then held
the rank of a Major General. In the harbour was the flagship of Rear
Admiral Gleaves.

There was no delay over the niceties of etiquette when the question
arose as to whether the Rear Admiral should call on the Major General or
the Major General should call on the Rear Admiral.

The Major General settled the subject with a sentence. He said, "The
point is that I want to see him," and with no further ado about it
General Pershing and his staff visited the Admiral on his flagship.
After his inspection of our first contingent, General Pershing said:

"This is the happiest day of the busy days which I have spent in
France preparing for the arrival of the first contingent. To-day I
have seen our troops safe on French soil, landing from transports
that were guarded in their passage overseas by the resourceful
vigilance of our Navy.

"Now, our task as soldiers lies before us. We hope, with the aid of
the French leaders and experts who have placed all the results of
their experience at our disposal, to make our forces worthy in skill
and in determination, to fight side by side in arms with the armies
of France."

CHAPTER IV

THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF WAR

Clip the skyline from the Blue Ridge, arch it over with arboreal vistas
from the forests of the Oregon, reflect the two in the placid waters of
the Wisconsin--and you will have some conception of the perfect Eden of
beauty in which the first contingent of the American Expeditionary
Forces trained in France.

Beckoning white roads curl through the rolling hills like ribbons of
dental cream squeezed out evenly on rich green velour. Chateaux, pearl
white centres in settings of emera