The Mountainair independent., 1918-03-28
CHAPTER XIII.
My First Official Bath.

Right behind our rest billet was q
large creek about ten feet deep and
twenty feet across, and 1t was a habit
Of the company to avail themselves Of
an opportunity to take a swim and at
the same time thoroughly wash them
selves and their underwear when on
their own. We were having a spell of
hot weather, and these baths to us
were a luxury. The Tommies would
splash around In the water and then
come out and sit in the sun and have
what they termed "shirt hunt" At
first we tried to drown the Coolies"
but they also seemed to enjoy the bath.
One Sunday morning the whole Sec
ton was In the creek and we were hav-
Ing gay time, when the sergeant ma
Jor appeared on the scene. He came
to the edge Of the creek and ordered:
"Come out Of it. Get your equipment
on, drill order and fall in for bath
parade. Look lively, my hearties. You
have only got fifteen minutes" A howl
Of indignation from the creek greeted
tllIS Oluel, but Oul We CdHlc, biSCL"
pline is discipline. We lined up in
front of our billet with 7 ,s and bay
onets (why you need rifles and bayo-
nets to take bath gets me), a full
quota Of ammunition, and our tin hats.
Each man had a piece of soap and o
towel. After an eight-klo march along
q dusty road, with an occasional shell
whistling overhead we arrived at a
little squat frame building upon the
bank Of a creek. Nailed over the door
Of this building was large sign which
read divisional Baths" In a wooden
shed In the rear we could hear
wheeZy old engine pumping water.
We lined up in front of the baths,
soaked with persplration, and piled
our rifles into stacks. A sergeant of
the R. A, M. G. with yellow band
around his left arm on which was
rs. p" (sanitary police) in black let.
ters, took charge, ordering us to take
off our equipment unrOll our puttees
and unlace boots, Then, starting from
the right of the line, he divided us
into squads Of fifteen. l happened to
be in the first squad.
We entered small room, where we
were given five minutes to undress,
then filed into the bathroom. In here
there were fifteen tubs (barrels sawed
In two) half full of water. Each tub
contained O piece Of laundry soap. The
sergeant informed us that. we had just
twelve minutes in which to take our
baths. Soaping ourselves all over, we
took turns In rubbing each others
backs, then by means Of garden hose,
washed the soap off. The water was
ice cold, but felt fine.
Pretty soon a bell rang and the wa
ter was turned off. Some of the slower
ones were covered with soap, but this
made no difference to the sergeant,
who chased us into another room,
where we lined up in front Of q little
window, resembling the box office in O
theater, and received clean underwear
and towels. From here we went into
the room where we had first undressed
Ten minutes were allowed in which tc
get into our "clabber."
My pair of drawers came up TO my
chin and the shirt barely reached my
diaphragm, but they were clean-nC
strangers on them, so was satisfied
At the expiration Of the time allot
ted we were turned out and finished
our dressing on the grass.
When all Of the company had bathet
II was 0 case Of march back to billsys