n again, and found Bink
and Bob unrolling their blankets--I wanted them to come with me, but a
sleep looked good to them. Tommy, Steve, and Baldy were doing the same
thing, but instead of following suit I struggled on; at the top of the
hill I found a bunch of tents, but that was all--the visions I had of a
hot meal faded away, there was no grub in sight--I rolled into one of
the tents, spread out my blankets, and had just closed my eyes, when a
voice said, "O'Brien, you are on fatigue." I started to kick, but it
was no use, so I followed the Sergeant out to where he had a bunch
lined up; we were ordered to go down to the commissary tent about five
hundred yards distant and draw rations. Well, away we went, and we
spent the rest of the night carrying up boxes of jam, butter,
bully-beef, and sardines. When I was carrying up the last two boxes,
just at daylight, along came the other boys; they thought it was a
great joke for them to be comfortably sleeping while I worked getting
up grub for them to eat. I couldn't see the fun in it just then, and I
told them so, but they only laughed the more. Well, I curled up in my
blankets, and it seemed that I had just got to sleep when Tommy wakened
me; breakfast was being served, and he had drawn mine. After my bacon
and tea and a good wash I felt better.

While we were at breakfast a lot of little French kids crowded around,
and we were all amused at the little beggars. Their speech, half
French and half English, was very funny. But say, you should have seen
them smoke! Little kids hardly able to walk were smoking just like old
men. They seemed very hungry, and we gave them lots of our food until
we found they were putting it into a sack to carry away.

Well, we stayed in camp till noon, and just after dinner we were told
to get ready to move off. Soon we were marching down to take the
train, and if the French people who watched us so curiously had seen us
go up the night before they would not have recognized us as the same
bunch. The French gave us a great reception; the girls brought us
fruit, candy, and smokes, and our journey to the station was quite a
triumphal procession. One of the girls came running up and gave me a
couple of bottles--Rust was beside me and had been through it all
before, so he whispered, "Put them in your pack; it is red wine." I
guess I was a little slow in getting them out of sight, for our officer
saw them and he said, "Don't touch that,