the expedition, we observed only from the deck of our 

 steamer, for our battalion was sent out as soon as 

 scowls could be provided. For five days we traveled 

 up the (censored) river in big barges, making slow 

 progress, but having an interesting time. The most re- 

 grettable feature was the sickness. I consider myself 

 fortunate to have completely recovered after several 

 days of the disease. The doctor tells me my condition 

 was serious for a while. 



Northern Russia as seen from the river is much like 

 parts of northern Wisconsin. Usually meadows stretch 

 from the river from a quarter to half a mile, merging 

 into forests of pine and spruce, formerly the imperial 

 forests. Hardwoods are scarce, but there are enough 

 of them with their colored foilage to make the land- 

 scape very beautiful at this season. Ducks, geese, rab- 

 bits and a species of woodhen are found in abundance, 

 but as we have no shotguns we have to live on our tin 

 ration. The only roads in this region parallel the riv- 

 ers very closely, and it is along these the population is 

 centered. The farther south we go the more fertile 

 the soil and the more prosperous the people, relatively. 

 Farming is carried on in communities twenty or more 

 families making up a village or nevradya (phonetic). 



After five days on the river we reached a British 

 base and halted for two or three days. The French 

 and Scots had pushed the bolsheviki south of this point 

 and we were the first American unit to join them. Our 

 first field work consisted of a march south into the 

 bolshevik country. Our company was sent on to re- 

 lieve a Scot company holding a little town on the (cen- 

 sored). We reached the village about midnight and, 



8 



