Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-06-21

awaiting this letter from me. so |
will start it now and fuish it some
time before | get to where Pm go
ing. | will write you in chapters
and AN allowing for ny spell of
sea sickness, which / am sure will
come 10 due time. / don't know
how much Of this letter will get
past the censor. | will try not to
put anything 10 it that | shouldn't.
! certainly feel sorry for him if he
undertakes to read it all.
| will begin at The beginning.
Well, on a certain morning not
long ago at 1870 we got orders to
fall out of our barracks with
all Of our equipment and pre-
pare to move. This we did
without any confusion or noise.
All we're quiet aud were appar-
emily each busy with bis own
thoughts. could not help but
think of the history had read
long ago about other armies steal
ing quietly away in the night.
Perhaps all felt as | did, it was the
little SILVER before the plunge, as
we stood, as 1t we're, on the brink
of the unknown. | realized that
the time had come when a man
must be a man above everything
else. Soldering, at its best, is not
a bed of roses, but our little
game" (for that is what its been)
is over, and we are face to face
with the real article. But the past
six month in camp have taught me
to accept conditions as they come,
and have proven to me that am
master of myself.
Well, we boarded the train for
a few hours ride, we stopped near
a certain ferry, which we boarded,
and werecarried to a certain steam
ship pier, (I'll tell you al! these
names when / get back, also the
many, many things saw with the
aid of my field glasses) where we
came aboard one of the greatest
ocean liners aAoat, and let me tell
you right here, | came aboard with
a smile. All of the first day was
consumed in loading troops and
supplies, and we didn't leave the
pier until about 8 O'Clock the next
morning. We were then towed
out into the harbor, where we
stayed all of that day, but about 6
O'Clock p. N. everybody was
ordered below deck. And our
ship turned its prov toward the
east, and began to breast the bill.
lows of the Atlantic. We all knew
that in few hours we would be
out of sight of the greatest place
on earth, home" None Of US
knew when we would see it again,
or through what perils we would
pass before we touched it shores
again, but | am confident that ]
am coming back to you winner.
This is my first day at sea. 4
wish ! could picture to you, just
how wonderful it is to sit on declS|
and look and look and look. | am
at least ID that place Of which |
have heard so much, where there
is nothing to see but sky and
water. All morning we were in a
dense fog and could see only a few
hundred yards, but just about
noon, what the seaman knows as
the noon scale) the fog lifted and
inl6ve minutes it was as clear as
crystal, and such a sight | never
expect to see again. The water,
which had before looked muddy
was then as blue as the sky above
it, and in all directions, as far as
Che eye could see, it was the same,
nothing to break the apparent
smooth service of the ocean, ex-
cept the white-capped waves. We
have only passed two ships since
we left, and these were SO far dis
trant | couldn't make out what
kind they were, not even with the
aid of my field glasses. That