East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-09-10


a half hours. The road was up and
down and winding over logs and ruts
land roots. 1t was thru pretty woods
with lots of wild flowers and picnic
spots. but l had no time to stop and
lobserve. Speaking of picnics, do you
remember In? We got here
about 1880 and spent the rest of the
day laying on our packs trying to get
out of all the work possible But at
that 1 got on about three fatigue de-
tails carrying boxes and pitching
tents. We moved into our tents and
dug bitches all around so the rain
would run away from them. The
flaps were rolled up of course to give
air and 1 made my bunk in the cor
ner. 1t rained a while just after we
went to bed and l had made mine so
close to the edge that the rain hit
about six inches wide the whole side
of the bed and the next morning there
was a big puddle of water all along on
top my paterproof poncho. moved
it further in the next day and made
a ditch along the edge. l forgot to
shake up the straw tick yesterday and
my bed was horribly hard last night.
I'll shake it up today.
Our whole regiment is camped
here so it looks like quite a camp.
just took picture of the men at mess
1t was little early so the crowd sit
ting in the road wasn't as big as 1t
gets to be, but l had to eat early on
account of being detailed for the after
noon to go out in the pits and mark
scores on the targets. The hand had
concert just before dinner and it
sure sounded good. We have a fine
band and they played good catchy
popular stuff. 1 did a foX-trot by my
self on the spot when they played
"Strutter's Ball"
The range is in a pretty place but |
there's not much water near and we
can't even wash half the time. The |
first night here we went hunting
tabled spring about a mile back down
the road. By the time we got there /
it was so dark we could hardly see
down in the woods where it was and |
there were about $50 men lined up |
ahead i'm the line with more coming /
all the time SO we went off and |
washed in a pool in a little creek there /
and then went searching green apples
that we saw everyone else eating. They /
were all gone when we got there but
we persevered and went back across in
the opposite direction past the spring
and found an old farm house desert
ed of course, all those inside the camp /
are deserted) and an orch
ard on the other side. There were
some small wormy sweetish apples
there and we felt around on the
ground and filled our pockets. We
ate all the way back and when we got
there there wasn't a drop to be had
high or low even from our neighbors
but l ate a piece OF chocolate / had
in my pack and so kept alive till
morning. The trip back was done
inch by inch for it was black dark and
one place we had to cross a ten foot
creek on a fallen log and that was
ticklish work even with the aid of a
match.
Continued Sunday afternoon.
/ had TO drop my writing suddenly
yesterday. The reason it's on note
book-was on field dHty and go pussy
footing around on a couple of wild /
goose chase marches and just now
finished the last sheet when fellow
came along and loaned me his pen
(mine is dry) to continue with.
1 think I'll take up a regular day
here and tell about It first. We arise
with much grooming and eussing-
stretching sore joints and pulling on
damp clothes, at $40. assembly at
5:45, chow at 500 and the first
bunch leaves for the range at $3.50.
We shoot by platoons. so ours, the
3rd. gets to wait I'm the tents another
hour before starting. We march
about a quarter OF a mile to the
ranges. We wear our fatigue suits of
blue denim and look like a bunch OF
al nh hau fn I I
first in the morning are hampered by
the fog. / had to shoot about $50
one night and II was n little dull.
Usually it is bright and hot and in a
way reminds me OF tennis toufnH-
nents I've attended at the Irvingtoh I,
club in Portland. The spectators sit .
urder awnings back aways. eating
pink tea and ice cream. and the per- I
formers work up ahead. only in this
,ase the spectators are those not
who are awai,ing their turn
u cleaning their guns after shooting.
rhe shooting was a brandnew eXperl-
nee for me, you know, for I've nev> }
r handled a gun OF any kind before
., my life and / made quite decent
cores. considering. The fir 4 set OF
hots were from sand-''ag trenchts.
citing our guns on the parapet. They
we're easy and got out OF possible
o. ten shots to a target. 100 yards. .
rome, ~. 200 yards standing, 40. 800 4
ards standing, 81. When Il came TO Z
he shooting without anything to rest y
he rifle on had trouble for my arms Z
re soft like Jelly and / couldn't holo
rem stnl but wobbled all over. One
undred yards standing / got IS. and y
GO yards kneeling "a very awkward
only 20. or course on the 4
.st two everyone scores proportion =
tely less and mine wasn't the worst q