colors of clothes
were worn by children, we noticed that the women were nearly all
dressed in black. This, we believed to be because they had lost
relatives in the war, and we later found that our conclusion was the
correct one. Among the poorer classes the men wear large loosely
fitting trousers and tight jackets. They wear a peculiar hat, with a
tightly fitting crown, a broad round brim, and two streamers of black
ribbon about eighteen inches long hanging down in back. The middle
classes dress more like Americans, though not with as well made
clothes as one is accustomed to see in this country.

After marching about five miles, we were given a rest in an open field
in the outskirts of Brest. Here we were again addressed by an officer
and cautioned to be careful about coming in contact with the French
people, and particularly with the women and children of the lower
classes. We were informed that the lower classes of women and the
peasant children are nearly all syphylitic, especially in seaport
towns. This sent a shudder through us, for we had already been
fondling some of the French children, before we realized the necessity
for caution. The warning was heeded and thereafter the boys kept the
peasants at a distance.

As we resumed our march, we began to get into a cultivated district.
The rolling land along the roadway was cut up into small farms ranging
in size from a half acre to about two and a half acres. The boundary
lines of these farms were hedges; there were no fences, such as we
have in America. The land was planted to truck gardens, berries, fruit
trees, etc., and at the time that we saw them, they were in good
condition and apparently quite productive.

It was about 6 o'clock in the evening and after a long and hard march
that we arrived at the Napoleon Barracks, where we were to have a few
days' rest before going into the interior. These barracks are quite
extensive. They are built of stone and are surrounded by a stone wall.
The wall is about three feet thick and twenty feet high, and it would
be a difficult matter for anyone to scale it. To keep soldiers from
trying to get out, broken glass is cemented into it for the entire
length on top. The purpose of this was to make it so dangerous that
no soldier would attempt to climb it. There are two arched gateways
leading to the interior. These archways are fitted with heavy gates,
which were originally designed as defense gates in case of attack. The
mai