ough an arched gate and crossed the moat on a
bridge which could be drawn up in case of attack. At present the gate
is always kept lowered, but it could be drawn up if necessary. It was
easy to picture in the mind's eye as we looked at these relics of
former days, the feudal barons of the age of chivalry, sallying forth
from this ancient stronghold on their steeds to make war or to plunder
and prepared to retreat behind this moat and wall where they would be
safe in the event that they were opposed by superior forces. I could
not but think, as I stood upon this historic ground, that we ourselves
were making history and that the fight that we were then preparing to
make, while less romantic than the skirmishes of the feudal barons,
was vastly more important to the welfare of the world.

Situated as it is upon an eminence, a view that is beyond description
is to be obtained from Langres. From the ramparts one may see the
upper valley of the Marne with its checkerboard of farms of various
hues; the Vosges; and on a clear day the white peak of Mont Blanc, one
hundred and sixty miles distant.

In strong contrast with the way in which ancient warriors entered
Langres, we were loaded onto motor trucks and taken up the steep and
winding way that led to the gates of the city by means of the most
modern way of transportation. Our eyes were fastened on the oddities
of this strangely interesting city as we wound through the streets,
some of which were narrow, others wide, past well kept parks and
buildings older than most of the modern governments, and we were
filled with a sort of reverence for this historic spot as we took our
places in the barracks made ready for us.

CHAPTER IV

Nearing the Front

After we were installed in the barracks at Langres and had our
personal belongings straightened out, we were given the day to
ourselves. This was the first freedom that we had had since our
arrival in France. The boys, of course, all went to the business
section of the city, where many of them were given their first glimpse
of French customs and French methods of merchandising. As I had been
fortunate in getting into the business section of Brest while we were
there, this was not new to me, but to most of the boys it was a novel
experience. They spent their time and much of their money in the
French stores, buying small articles of various kinds. One oddity of
the freedom that we were given here was the fact that the Ame