hike, and give our bags in at the Y. M. C. A. for storage. So we shall
be on a hike basis from now on, and tonight I shall sleep in my clothes,
with my blankets and poncho made up into a sleeping bag. It is wonderful
what the Y. M. C. A. does for us, giving to all who come every kind of
information, cashing our checks, supplying pen and ink and paper to the
epistolary, and giving minor helps constantly. It is to them a very
burdensome expense, which they have no fund to meet. I shall leave
something behind to show my appreciation.

For the coming ten days I have gone into woollens for the first time in
years, on account of the expected contact with mother earth. I shall
carry three pair of stockings, a change of underwear, an extra shirt and
extra trousers and shoes, and a light sweater to supplement my service
one, with several small conveniences. We shall live rough and rather
dirty, and the hike will finish much of the outfit.

--It is evening, and I am all ready. The day has been given to sorting
and packing, storing my suit-case, getting my berth home, and again
sorting, and again packing. For when we tried to stuff into the squad-bag
the eight bundles that we made of our extra belongings, it happened as we
might have expected, and we had to discard half of our dunnage. Here is
my final equipment.

In my belt, thirty blank cartridges, and in the extra pockets my
flashlight, some surgeon's plaster, and some of David's silk patches.

In my pocket the foot-powder which it is my duty to carry as
sub-squad-leader. (The other men carry the intrenching tools and the
wire-cutter. The corporal carries nothing but the weight of his
responsibilities.)

In my pack the usual shelter-half, poncho, blanket, tent-pins, rope,
meat-can, knife and fork and spoon, with bayonet. In addition I stuff in
an o. d. shirt (it dried today!) a towel, soap, tooth-brush, shaving
things etc., a pair of socks, and my map.

In the pillow-case in the squad-bag, shoes, trousers, change of underwear
and socks, towel, writing materials, sewing things.

In the squad-roll the blankets and sweaters.

Cool weather is certain, and having heard that the captain may send back
for our coats, we who have bought ours have deposited them at the
store-tent for this purpose.

My map I have at last finished with much clumsy care; dozens of us have
spent hours today at the Y. M. C. A., absorbed in this work, which
with the accurate inking of the route and