e Captin just leaned agenst his horse smokin a cigar as tho
that was the best place in the world to spend the evenin. Hes got one
of these Drench coats so it doesnt make any difference to him if
everybody else dissolved. Just as it was gettin dark a fello came up
on a motor cycle an gave him some mail. Then we started. It made the
fellos awful sore cause they say thats all he was waitin for. I
thought of course the Bilitin oficer had found some place that was
worse down the road an was takin us there for the nite. But we just
marched an marched till everybody could see that the Captin didnt know
where he was goin.

We couldnt light a light or scratch matches or nothin. The Captin said
a lot of Dutch airyplanes was out to get us an as soon as we struck a
light theyd drop bums on us. Then he passed the word back that nobody
was to talk above a whisper. The old guns rattle so you couldnt hear
anybody unless he yelled anyway. The Captin means all right but he
read to much cheap literachoor when he was a kid.

Every few minits a string of trucks would go tearin by in the other
direcshun. None of them had any lights. Its lucky they didnt cause if
they could have ever seen how near they came to not missin us they
could never have got there hair to lie down agen. When we were in camp
back in the States you dasnt go over ten miles an hour for fear
somebody would fall down in front of you and get run over. When you
get over here tho the idear seems to be to make the war as dangerous
as you can.

After a while I undid a couple of blanket rolls that didnt seem to
belong to anyone an I was just gettin as comfortable as a fello can on
top of a caisson in the pourin rain. I was dozin off when I heard
someone say "Whos that ridin on that carriage?" There was only one
person could ask a question like that. Right away I started to make
myself uncomfortable cause I knew thats probably what the trouble was.
Then he rode up an says "Is that you Smith? Didnt you hear me order
nobody to ride on any of the carriages?" Theres no use arguin with the
Captin. Its just a case of "All right. Have it my way."

They go to all the trouble of bildin a seat on these wagons. They
spend a year teachin you to sit on it in the most uncomfortable way.
Then when the first possible reason for usin them comes along they
make everybody get off an walk. I spent the rest of the nite kickin
mud puddles off the road.

About dawn we pulled off the road into an o