e produced carefully wrapped as if worth its weight in
gold from a box in the corner. They had been improvident in the use of
their monthly ration of fifteen pounds of flour per person and the end
of the month, with yet three days to go, found them in a serious
dilemma. When the hard tack and sugar were produced they were speechless
with astonishment. And the satisfaction of the American soldier was
great to see.

"Up on the Pinega River, many miles from any place, we passed a
considerable body of American soldiers headed to the front. Every man
was the picture of health, cheeks aglow, head up, and on the job. These
same men were on the railroad front--four hundred miles in another
direction--when I had seen them last. There they were just coming out of
the front line trenches and block houses, wearing on their heads their
steel hats and carrying on their backs everything but the kitchen stove.

"Now they were rigged more for long marching, in fur caps, khaki coats
of new issue with woollen lining, and many carried Alpine poles, for in
some places the going was hard.

"From our sled supply every man was given a package of Red Cross
cigarettes, and every man was asked if he had received his Christmas
stocking. They all had. I dined, by the way, with General Ironside last
night, and he was very strong in his praise for this particular body of
men who have seen strenuous service and are in for more."

One of the most memorable events in the history of a company of
Americans in Russia was the march from Archangel to Pinega, one hundred
and fifty miles in dead of winter. The first and fourth platoons made
the forced march December 18th to 27th inclusive, hurrying to the relief
of two platoons of another company with its back to the wall.

Two weeks later the second and third platoons came through the same
march even faster, although it was forty degrees below zero on three
days, for it was told at Archangel that the other half of "M" Company
was in imminent danger of extermination.

The last instructions for the march, given in the old Smolny barracks,
are typical of march orders to American soldiers:

"We march tomorrow on Pinega. Many versts but not all in one day. We
shall quarter at night in villages, some friendly, some hostile. We may
meet enemy troops. We march one platoon ahead, one behind the 60-sleigh
convoy. Alert advance and rear parties to protect the column from
surprise.

"Ours is a two-fold mission: