d class
coaches, although there were a few first class cars for the officers.
There were five compartments to a car and eight men were assigned to
each compartment; as we also had to make room for our luggage, we were
crowded and uncomfortable. However, we made the best of the unpleasant
conditions, and patiently awaited the starting of the train, which was
to take us through a country new and strange to us, and nearer to the
war zone.

CHAPTER III.

From Brest to Langres

Before our train pulled out of Brest we were ordered out of our
crowded compartments in the French railroad coaches for the purpose of
bringing in traveling rations. These consisted of canned bully beef,
canned jam, canned beans and bread. The bread that was given to us
here was made into enormous loaves--the largest that any of us had
ever seen. The loaves were sixteen or eighteen inches wide, from two
and a half to three feet long and eight or nine inches high. They were
American-made and were white and wholesome. The outside crust was hard
but palatable and the inside was soft and flaky like home-made bread.
We afterwards learned that these loaves had been baked weeks in
advance and that they were kept fresh and palatable by the use of a
chemical. Each compartment of eight men was given three of these large
loaves which, together with a number of cans of beans, bully beef and
jam, were to keep us supplied with food until we reached Langres, in
eastern France, which was our destination. We had previously
learned--on our trip overseas--to conserve food, and none of this
supply was wasted. We stored it away in our cramped quarters and saw
that it got proper care.

As we sat in the train waiting for it to start, we looked out upon the
bay of Brest and saw numerous tugs busy along the waterfront. They
were all engaged in war work of some kind. We also saw more American
troops being landed at the wharf, just as we were landed a few days
previous, and we knew their thoughts and feelings. In the air there
were several airplanes and dirigible balloons giving needed protection
to the ships that were entering the harbor.

While we were still in the yards of Brest, we also saw for the first
time in France, numerous Chinese coolies, who were doing with their
labor their part toward winning the war. They worked on the railroad
tracks in large gangs. To the Eastern boys who were not acquainted
with this class of Chinese laborers, they were quite a