The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1919-01-11
CROSSING TAE ATLANTIC
AND OTHER EXPERIENCES
Continued from page two J

for IL vas common FOR biR wave Il
Come over the side and spray things
up, especially on the forwsrd deck
We would stand In line for our meals
| for an hour sometimes. The line would
begin at the entrance 60 the kitchen
and sometimes wind In and ont pas.
sages and up stair eases until IL seem.
ed miles long There was more than
lone place 90 dish out food &C. but IL
was the same everywhere Shouts Of
"0angway" Hot Stun" You can't
stay here" mingled with the curses Of
some soldier on X =. duty, who sas
SO unfortunate as 10 be thrown up In
the corner by the rolling of the ship,
possibly over turning pan of army
stew on himself, were 10 be heard
when ever one went near these mess
lines.
| Two days out from France We wete
met hy another convoy of French Eng.
lish and American subehasers They
relieved the larger ships Of thc convoy
which turred aud seemingl" steamed
of In the direction OF The L = OF
course We all wanted 10 be first TO see
land. so a vigilan, watch was kept up
by Tire interested ones
| Al RIne o'clock on the morning of
Oct 2sth We sighted the coast of
France by eleven We were steaming
into the entrance of nrest In this
great port Of debarkation were ships
of every nation Except Germany, the
Stars and Stripes il Ia needelr 10 say,
| being the most In evidence n the way
of flags. We were transported from
the Huron. which by. the way ne,
elected TO say was formerly the Fred
| eriek der Crosse In which the Kaiser
made his famous trip around 'be world,
To land ON large fat boats
In heavy marching order We marched
eight kilometers TO Tho Am ri6an Rest
| Camp NJ pontaEe2en Barracks near
Brest Let me say right hire that IN
mud ankle deep with al eighty pound
pack glung on his back but we reached
our destination with few IN ssIng from
Battery h These rest eamps are a
Joke. What Sergeant Empey said about
| them In his book over the Top" Is not
| enough
The American engineering forces
had built great many barracks there
and good ones too but the ones the
ieth regiment were assigned to lacked
| being aeored 40 like good eoldIeFs We
| made our beds on old mother nature
| and slept AZ happily as II We had been
in our erstwhle Ravens OF rest at
home We were AT Brest five or six
days and Il rained every minute OF
this time TO my certain knowledge.
We worked day and night shifts down
Of the doei,s unloading ships. In spite
OF the rain and cold The mud was
awful ~ Brest. Some soldiers there
from the front said the firing line had
nothing or Brest for mud Down at
the camp kitchens We set our mess
kits on the hardest Maud piles We could
| find and enjoyed ctr meals Just the
| same The harder II raIned, these first
days We were In France, the more We
sang and ioked about our hardshins
Then came orders for us To move
That Vas a happy day for us when
they said We were going TO a training
camp Then came a Joyful two day
| ride on long train OF the famous
"Cheyaux s, Hommes 40 ears. We
saw our btt Of France oat II side
door pullman Passing through the
| cities Of Quimperle. Nantes. La RIO.
| ehelle and Roa9efort 9e enjoyed every
| moment Of the trip for II Afforded Us
n chance TO see the French ferms and
much Of the peasant life At the pres
ent time We are stationed In the vii
| lage Of Branne, province of Gironde
which Ia twelve miles from Lilbourne
and twenty three mileg from Bordeaux
rhese cities | have visited on pass
Our regiment has orders to be ready
to 80 to Bordeaux to embark for the
u. \, NJ AIRY time OF course We Will
oil be- glad 70 get back home again.
France is great country but I'm for
the United States
sERGT CECIL II RAYNHAM.
Battery r. ieth Art G. A. G.
1 n