d had for many weeks. One was a Royal Scot lad, the other was
Pvt. George Albers of "I" Company who had been taken prisoner one day on
the railroad front. These two prisoners were permitted to stand near
enough their comrades to tell them they were well treated.

Captain Heil was just about to complete negotiations for the exchange of
prisoners one day when a patrol from another Allied force raided the
Bolos in the rear and interrupted the close of the deal. The Bolos were
occupied with their arms. And shortly afterward Donoghue heard of the
negotiations and the wily propaganda of the Reds and put a stop to it.
On another page is told the story of similar artifices resorted to by
the Reds on the Toulgas Front to break into the morale of the American
troops.

It was well that the American officer adopted firm measures.

To be sure the great rank and file of American soldiers like their
people back home could not be fooled by propaganda. They could see
through Red propaganda as well as they could see through the old German
propaganda and British propaganda and American for that matter. Of
course not always clearly. But it was wise to avoid the stuff if
possible, and to discount it good-humoredly when it did contact with us.
The black night and short, hazy days, the monotonous food, the great
white, wolf-howling distances, and the endless succession of one d---
hardship after another was quite enough. Add to that the really pathetic
letters from home telling of sickness and loneliness of those in the
home circle so far away, and the uselessly sobful letters that carried
clippings from the partisan papers that grossly exaggerated and
distorted stories of the Arctic campaign and also carried suggestions of
resistance to the military authorities, and you have a situation that
makes us proud at this time of writing that our American men showed a
real stamina and morale that needs no apology.

The story of this New Year's Day battle with the Bolos proves the point.
For six weeks "E" Company had been on the line. Part of "L" Company had
been sent to reinforce Shred Makrenga and the remainder was at Seletskoe
and split up into various side detachments. Now they came for the
preparations for their part in the united push on Plesetskaya, mentioned
before. "K" Company came up fresh from its rest in Archangel keen to
knock the Bolo out of Kodish and square the November account. Major
Donoghue was to command the attacking forces, w