ining the American Ambulance. They include being
vaccinated, certifying whether one has had typhoid, getting measured
and fitted for a uniform, being presented to the various officers,
going through a lot of formalities leading to the possession of a
French chauffeur's license, filling out parentage and enlistment
blanks, and getting proper written introductions and identifications.
All these steps have entailed a good deal of rather necessary "red
tape," for in war time it is essential to prove every step in order to
avoid "mistakes."

The equipment of the members of the corps consists of a khaki uniform
of very heavy woolen cloth, a khaki overcoat, a fatigue cap, heavy
flannel shirts, a khaki necktie, tan puttees, tan shoes, and a tan
slicker. The members of the Ambulance obtain this outfit for the
surprisingly small sum of forty-seven dollars, each paying for his own
equipment.

At odd moments I have been put through stretcher-drill and given
rudimentary first-aid instruction. This afternoon and evening I was
sent as an orderly on an ambulance running to the suburban station of
Aubervilliers at which trains of wounded make a brief stop on their
way from the front to the home hospitals in the south of France. It is
from this station that the American Hospital receives its patients,
invariably cases whose condition is so grave that they are thought to
be incapable of enduring further travel without fatal results.

Upon entering the service of the Ambulance all volunteers, no matter
what their ultimate position is to be, are required to attain a
certain efficiency and practical knowledge in the actual handling of
wounded. I am now taking my turn at this service. One train of
ambulances is always stationed in Paris and carries wounded from the
Aubervilliers station to the various city hospitals. This train is
manned by the latest recruits, who there undergo training, being
meanwhile carefully observed by the staff officers. The majority of
them prove to be good material, and in from two to six weeks are sent
to the front, while those who are not judged to be reliable are
replaced by new volunteers. Candidates are not required to agree to
any definite length of enlistment but are at liberty to leave whenever
they so elect. On the other hand, the chiefs of the Ambulance Corps
make no promises to send any volunteer to the front but reserve the
right to select only those men who have first proved themselves fit
for such