m
earlier camps, other ditties, not vicious but unquotable, horribly
amusing _men's_ songs.

I gave up watching at last, and made my bed, which was not so easy as
usual, since my poncho, being old, has taken to stiffening in its folds
after wetting, and when I shook it out, just plain cracked. Besides, its
intimate acquaintance with barb-wire has resulted in various tears,
notably a long slit and some "barn-doors." So seeing its usefulness
departing, I chiefly made use of my blankets and overcoat, in which
latter I slept, and found myself perfectly warm.

Today we were up earliest, packed in a hurry (which never, however,
allows leaving the ground untidy) and were off as an advance flank guard
to protect the march of the baggage train and main body on the straight
road here, we going on a parallel line over whatever country we found. We
marched out of camp, went a mile to the west, and then turned south--and
a little ripple of joy went through the company. For it was our first
step toward Plattsburg and _home_. The men are all looking forward to the
breaking up of camp--not that they are feeling any hardship, but that
they are anticipating the set end of things, and thinking of home life
again.

Today's work will not make an interesting story. We followed our south
road till it petered out, passed through pretty glades and around
attractive knolls, and finally climbed a steep ascent to where, by a
schoolhouse at a corner, we rested for a while. A platoon was sent north
against a squad of cavalry; the rest went on, deployed here, deployed
there, sent out squads and recalled them, then lay low in ditches and
watched the movements of some of the enemy (horsemen and a machine gun)
cautiously coming forward along a crossroad against the corner toward
which we were heading, and which we knew to be held in strength by our
first platoon. They consulted, came on within range, and then sent out a
man to reconnoitre. Reaching the corner, he wheeled and dashed back,
waving his hat and shouting. A burst of fire from the corner pursued him;
and our Squad Seven, crazy to do something, let off a couple of clips at
the men on the machine gun, who were frantically trying to turn it about.
The cavalry got away, all but their messenger, who was summoned back. As
for the machine gun, it would not reconcile itself to capture till, as
the captain said, an umpire went out and picked it by hand.

We were given another rest, this time by an