ter.
Under the stimulation of a small silver coin from the sergeant's store
he assumed the role of barber and smoothed up the faces of the whole
crowd of prisoners. And then followed the trip under guard to the
steaming bath-house that is such a vivid memory to all soldiers who
soldiered up there under the Arctic Circle. In this connection it may be
related that later on at Moscow the obliging Commissar of the block in
which they were quartered hunted up for them razors and soap and even
found for them tooth brushes and tubes of toothpaste which had been made
in Detroit, U. S. A., and sold to Moscow merchants in a happier time.

"On April 5th we left Plesetskaya, after saying good-bye to the English
Chaplain who seemed greatly pleased that he was to get his freedom and
had his pockets full of Bolshevik propaganda. We reached Naundoma after
a night of terrible cold in the unheated car and during the next two
days on the railway journey to Vologda had nothing to eat. On April 7th
we reached that city and were locked up with about twenty Russians. Here
we got some black bread that seemed to have sand in it and some sour
cabbage soup which we all shared, Russians and all, from a single
bucket. Next day we thought it a real improvement to have a separate tin
and a single wooden spoon for the forlorn group of Americans and
British.

"At Plesetskaya we were questioned very thoroughly by a Russian officer
who spoke English very well and showed marked sympathy toward us and saw
to it that we were better treated, and later in Moscow saw to it that we
had some small favors. In three days' time we were again on the train
for Moscow, travelling in what seemed luxury after our late experience.
The trains to Moscow ran only once a week as there were no materials to
keep up the equipment.

"On our arrival we found the streets sloppy and muddy, with heaps of ice
and snow and dead horses among the rubbish. Few business places were
open, all stores having been looted. Here and there was a semi-illicit
stand where horsemeat, salt fish, carrots or cabbage and parsnips, and
sour milk could be bought on the sly if you had the price. But it was
very little at any price and exceedingly uncertain of appearance. We
were sent to join the other prisoners, French, English, Scotch and
Americans who had preceded us from the front to Moscow. They had tales
similar to ours to tell us.

"The next morning at 10:00 a. m. we were wondering when we would