letskoe and Obozerskaya,
was fitted up with quarters for soldiers and vigilantly guarded against
surprise attacks by the Reds from 443, or Emtsa. Sometimes it was held
by British and Russians from Seletskoe and sometimes by Americans from
Obozerskaya.

It sounds easy to say "Guarding lines of communication." But any veteran
of the North Russian expedition will tell you that the days and nights
he spent at that duty were often severe tests. When that Russki
thermometer was way below forty and the canteen on the hip was solid ice
within twenty minutes of leaving the house, and the sleigh drivers'
whiskers were a frozen Niagara, and your little party had fifteen versts
to go before seeing another village, you wondered how long you would be
able to handle your rifle if you should be ambushed by a party of Bolos.

With the settling down of winter the transportation along the great
winter reaches of road became a matter of fast traveling pony sleighs
with frequent exchange of horses. Officers and civil officials found
this travel not unpleasant. The following story, taken from the Red
Cross Magazine and adapted to this volume, will give the doughboy a
pleasing recollection and the casual reader a vivid picture of the
winter travel.

This might be the story of Captain Ramsay driving to Pinega in January
to visit that front. Or it might be old "Three-Hair" Doc Laird sledging
to Soyla to see "Military Pete" Primm's sturdy platoon. Or it might be
Colonel Stewart on his remarkable trip to the river winter fronts.
However, it is the story of the active American Red Cross Major
Williams, who hit the long trails early and showed the rest the way.

"I have just returned from a trip by sled up the Pinega River, to the
farthest point on that section where American troops are located. The
trip consumed six days and this, with the trip to the Dvina front, makes
a total of twenty days journeying by sled and about eight hundred miles
covered. Horses and not reindeer are used for transport. The Russian
horse, like the peasant, must be a stout breed to stand the strain and
stress of existence. They are never curried, are left standing in the
open for hours, and usually in spots exposed to cruel winds when there
is a semblance of shelter available within a few feet. The peasants do
not believe in 'mollycoddling' their animals, nor themselves.

"On the return trip from Dvina I had a fine animal killed almost
instantly by his breaking his n