Evening star., 1918-04-09

and the entire load would slip beneath
the animal and the water would De
lost. On these occasions one felt ike
crying. 1t meant going back, and we
were SO tired. and it seemed particu-
larly hard when this occurred when we
were at the end of our trip. for then
there was an open space Just before We
reached the 7th Company, where the
shells fell faster and thicker than any
where else, and it was the most ex-
posed part of the route.
Going home the donkeys acted even
worse. for then they were not weighed
down, and they gave us run down the
hill. Funny little beasts they were. full
OF pluck and courage. grew devoted
to them. In spite of the worry and
work they gave me I was sorry to leave
them. The African troops who joined
us were not so kind. heard 1t stated,
know not with what truth. that they
believed the ass to be Christian soui
mistreated them as much as they could.
This is quite possible, for, though brave
enough. the Africans have many
strange customs.
shared in common. 1t was fear and
detestation of rats At night sometimes
the donkeys would bray piteously. and
on my going up to see what was the
matter there would be a rush and a
scramble Of rats.
The shelter in which my Swiss friend
and 1 lived was similarly infested. The
rats ate up anything We left about in
Guiding paper and candles. The moment
the candle was out the rats began. They
quarreled, they fought. they screamed,
and I can honestly say I was far more
disturbed by these wretched creatures
than by the German shell fire. Often,
just as I had got off to sleep. would
feel their cold. clammy feet patter
across my face and I would wake up-I
am not ashamed to say-with a scream.
Writes Letters for Privates.
In my leisure hours as a donkey
driver / became a sort of volunteer
scribe. The authorities apparently did
not let letters written in German pass
through to Switzerland. Now. my Swiss
friend, although a French-Swiss. had
been brought up in German Switzerland
and hence could not write in French.
used, therefore. to write his letters for
to all of whom he wrote the same thing,
and nearly always about his health.
asking after their health, their
mamma's or papa's health, and so on.
The replies were exactly on a par
hoping that he was well, that Aunt
Marie was i'll, but was getting better;
that they were well respectively. This
was very dull work, but my Swiss
friend was kindly soul and seems, in
spite of a certain monotony Of char
acter, to have been a great success with
the ladies of his native land.
Then there was a negro who came
from Martinique. He heard of my DOW
ers as scribe and as he could write no
language l wrote for him. He wrote.
entirely to the fair sex. unless it was
for money. His letters, or rather his
remarks. were far more amusing.
Please write me letter to Suzanne;
make 1t as warm as you can, but don't
go too far-just show her 1 want to
love her. but don't want to marry her. )"
l composed many letters for him and 1
Judge l was success, for he received
lengthy answers, sometimes inclosine
or 10 francs (s1 to s2). which he had
not asked for. and this the result of
my own fertile imagination. / had 20
give this occupation up. My clients be-
came too numerous and exacting, but
my Swiss friend did SO many things for
me that l continued to write for him.