. The first shot for liberty; the story of an American who went over with the first expeditionary force and served his country at the front . RST SHOT FOR LIBERTY we were impatient at the delay, for we wantedto beat it to the front immediately and takea hand in the big scrap We were elated at the end of the weekwhen we were loaded into funny little boxcars, which were about half the size of theAmerican brand. We were packed so tightlythat we barely had standing room, and hadto shove and squirm before we could createspace big enough to sit down. Neverthelesswe were in high spirits and were glad
. The first shot for liberty; the story of an American who went over with the first expeditionary force and served his country at the front . RST SHOT FOR LIBERTY we were impatient at the delay, for we wantedto beat it to the front immediately and takea hand in the big scrap We were elated at the end of the weekwhen we were loaded into funny little boxcars, which were about half the size of theAmerican brand. We were packed so tightlythat we barely had standing room, and hadto shove and squirm before we could createspace big enough to sit down. Neverthelesswe were in high spirits and were glad to be onthe move. We gambled for the positions at the sidedoors, and I was lucky enough to win a seatin the open several times. Our chow on thetrip consisted of corn beef, tomatoes andhardtack, and at some of the stations on theroute we received handouts of steaming hotcoffee. We passed through a pretty rolling country,dotted with towns and villages. We sawvery few young men, for most of them were atthe front doing their bit against the work on the farms was being done mostly o TOo o i H o CO O i—t O a oo w CD o sa- s o s oo. A ROYAL WELCOME 49 by old men, women and children. Theinhabitants gathered at every station to seeus pass through. After traveling for three days we reachedthe end of the line, where American autotrucks took us to the best artillery barracksin France. That night we hit the hay onreal mattresses and real pillows. But, best of all, we were near the front line,and could hear the boom of heavy guns. Every one of us felt a thrill when werealized that only a few miles away, Frenchbatteries were potting away at the Germans. We were all eager to start at once for ourpositions behind the French line, but such ahappy fate was not in store for us. We learned,to our grief, the next day that we would haveto undergo many weeks of stiff grilling underthe most exacting French artillery instructorsbefore we would be allowed to pepper awayat the hated Boche. CHAP
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