d seven francs or about
$1.35 for a dozen eggs and four francs or about 70 cents for a gallon
of milk. We were indeed glad to get these luxuries, even at these
prices and considered ourselves fortunate. In Novient two beer shops
were also conducted and sold the soldiers light wines and beers, the
prices being one franc or nearly 20 cents for a small bottle of beer,
five francs for a bottle of red wine and from seven to ten francs for
a bottle of white wine.

After three days at Novient, we moved forward toward the trenches,
where we were to complete our training for work in the Flash Service.
At this time we were divided into small detachments, there being
fourteen men in the detachment to which I was assigned. We were taken
to a woods about a mile and a half from Novient, and there had our
first introduction to the French S. R. O. T., or service similar to
our Flash Service.

In this woods we were billeted underground, where we were protected
from shell fire. Each detachment was billeted with an equal number of
French, and it was from the fourteen French in our detachment that we
were to complete our education for the special work for which we were
preparing. In other words, we were to learn the practical application
from the French of the knowledge that we had learned in the school at
Fort St. Menge.

Our first experience in actual war work was in an observation tower in
this woods. This tower was 65 feet in height. It was cylindrical in
form and built of steel about half an inch in thickness. The interior
was about five feet in diameter. In the tank (so-called) was a lookout
post for observation work. It had small slits on all sides that could
be readily opened and shut, through which we were to take our
observations. We entered the tower through a trap door in the bottom,
and the men working at the post locked the door while they were at
their duty. The tower was erected in a thick growth of tall trees, and
was well camouflaged. It was securely hidden from Hun eyes, yet gave
us a full view of the Hun trenches in that vicinity. It was from this
tower that I first saw the enemy, and got my first glimpse of the Hun
lines and got my first full view of a modern battlefield.

The French outer trench was only one-quarter of a mile from this
tower. The German trenches were just a little way beyond those of the
French, the distance varying from fifty yards to a quarter of a mile,
according to the terrain. With our stron