and the few french soldiers appeared interested in us. Very near the camp was Coquinville, a row of houses, chiefly cafes and "galeries militaires," all making their living off the soldiers. Needless to say, the Americans patronized them freely. At the small villages of St. Malo de Beignon, Beignon, and Guer, all within a radius of five kilometers, we could buy chocolate, cheese, butter occasionally, a little "confiture" or jam, and small needs like candles, shoe-brushes, briquets, etc. At that time, the villages were interesting and picturesque with the stone houses and red tile roofs. We had not had the intimate acquaintance with the dirty streets, manure piles, gloomy hay­ lofts and narrow-minded inhabitants that we later enjoyed. The presence of some 2,000 German prisoners dressed in shabby Grey or vivid Green with P. G. printed on the seats of their pants made the war seem closer.

The first couple of weeks we had neither guns nor horses; therefore most of the time was devoted to conditioning. There was also much practice by the entire Battery in "flag-flapping," (signalling with Rags) it being the mistaken idea that every man should be an expert signaller. Many short hikes around the country were taken, made pleasanter by frequent long hedges of blackberries growing along the roads, waiting to be eaten at every halt.

It became a custom to get passes on Sunday in order to walk to some town, take dinner, and come back in the afternoon. Many trips were made to Phelan, Paimpont, Augan, Campeneac, and even Ploermel, 20 kilometers distant. The first of these

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