ces
of shrapnel and the machine-gun bullets.

Troop trains had a never waning interest for civilian and soldier
alike. The French freight cars are about half the size of our American
cars. The box cars were filled with horses and men. The horses were
led up a gangplank to the door in the center of the car and backed
toward each end of the car with their heads facing each other. Four
horses abreast, making eight in the car, completely filled it, leaving
only a four-foot alleyway between them, where the men in charge of
the horses made themselves as comfortable as circumstances permitted.
Sometimes the men were crowded so tight into the cars that they could
neither sit nor lie down. Usually, however, they had more room, and in
every open doorway they sat with their feet hanging outside. A jollier
bunch of fellows never donned uniform.

[Illustration: GERMAN AERIAL BOMB (Large)]

The flat-cars were loaded with gun carriages, ammunition wagons, and
field kitchens. On one car of every train were three mounted machine
guns with their crews, in readiness for any daring Boche plane that
might swoop down on them. Most of the trains that traveled by day were
camouflaged with branches of green leaves broken from trees or bushes.

When the last train had departed at three o'clock in the morning, we
had a jollification banquet of canned fruit and fish with bread and
coffee, first having gone in noisy procession through all the
sleeping quarters and routed out all who were snatching a "wink of
sleep."

On the day previous Armstrong went ahead with two of our canteen
workers, O'Connor and Baldwin, and a camionette load of supplies and
cocoa and set up a temporary canteen, ready to welcome the troops when
they arrived at Ravigny. Dr. Anderson in the Ford Sedan also went
ahead to choose suitable headquarters and a warehouse in which to
store our fifteen carloads of supplies.

A "Y" MOTOR CONVOY

At eleven in the forenoon, after spending the morning packing and
loading, our convoy started. All drivers knew the route to Ravigny, to
which point all troop trains had been dispatched under sealed orders.
First in line were our pilots in an Indian motorcycle and sidecar.
They carried our official passes which they presented to each guard en
route. Then after all had passed they proceeded to the next guard.
Second in line was a Ford touring car with our chief of transportation
and other officials. Next came a camionette loaded wi