d his old-time habit of thriftiness, and I
made up my mind to keep a sharp lookout, and if I caught him
profiteering in rations he had saved from the men, I mentally resolved I
would show him no mercy.

Exactly at 2 o'clock that morning we started sending our messages to
Fritzie, and inside of a minute--Kr-kr-kr-p! Kr-kr-kr-p! Kr-kr-kr-p!
Kr-kr-kr-p! And his shells were flying all around us. The cookhouse was
only about 20 yards off and I wondered if Scotty would now loosen up a
bit, and I stepped over leaving Lawrence in charge of the gun. The cook
had crawled under his bunk, which was merely a slight wire mattress
raised a couple of feet off the floor. There was a dixie of hot tea
standing near and I started to help myself to a drink. He saw what I was
doing and with chattering teeth told me he would report me in the
morning. He had scarcely spoken when a shell tore through the cookhouse,
going clean through the wall over his bed, and as the roar of it passed
by, I heard Scotty again offering up supplications in a manner that
would arouse the admiration of the most earnest camp-meeting devotee.
The shells were commencing to pop all around and I knew instantly that
Fritz had located the cookhouse instead of the battery, and I roared to
Scotty to come out, but he wouldn't budge. I reached under and grabbed
him by the leg, dragging him to the door and leading him by the hand,
for he was shaking like a leaf, made my way to the battery. By that time
Fritz had got a better line on the guns and it was getting so hot that
we got orders to retire to our dugouts. I pushed the cook ahead of me
and when we got to the path leading to our quarters, about 200 yards
off, no sprinter ever lived that could equal the pace of the bow-legged
chef. I doubt if a moving picture machine could have caught the flash of
his legs.

The following day we got the welcome order of billets. When there the
O.C. made an announcement that he would give a prize of 20 francs to the
driver of the best pair of mules on inspection day, which was two weeks
hence. This was done for the purpose of encouraging the well-being of
the animals,--a most important factor in our own well-being. Scotty's
eye to thrift ever open, he entered into an engagement with one of the
drivers that he would feed his mules potato peelings if he would split
fifty-fifty with him on the prize. The driver agreed and a few days
later he and his helper appeared at the door of the cookhous