War Service Letters 



469 



but over here a foggy or rainy one is voted most popular. Fritzie does 

 his dirty work in this line, as I say, at night. His yellow streak is too 

 big to permit him to come out and pull off his game in daylight. Speak- 

 ing of moonlight, we have had some beautiful weather since coming to 

 this country. The November days are exactly the same as those of 

 good old California, and I have never seen more beautiful evenings. 

 Even Fritzie has not been around to disturb us. I know you will be 

 interested in knowing that I came through all the days of our fighting 

 without receiving a scratch of any kind. We were also in action in this 

 country and gave the Huns a great reception. To us it appeared more 

 like a foot-race than a fight, for Fritz was continually retreating, and 

 about the only way we could make him go faster was to fan his coat-tail 

 with our artillery. Fritz is licked, and he knows it. He is getting out 

 of Belgium as fast as he can, and, from reports we hear, he is raising 

 the dust getting back to his own country all along the front. The Kul- 

 turites had better wipe the dirt from old Napoleon's downy couch on 

 St. Helena Island, for Bill K. seems destined to have a one-way ticket 

 there. 



It would do your heart good to see the cordial way the Belgians treat 

 us. After four years of Hun rule they are free, and nothing is too good 

 for us American boys. We are "Vive la Americaned" as we go by, and 

 many of the people actually weep, they are so happy. I feel fully re- 

 paid for the bit I've played in this great game when I see the joy they 

 express. The Prussians and Bavarians are hated by the Belgians, for 

 it was these two classes that treated the populace shamefully. Some of 

 the stories would make your blood boil. I will have some interesting 

 things to tell you in this regard when we meet again. 



This country is entirely different from France. It is almost entirely 

 level, and it was days before we came to a hill during our advance. The 

 entire country is intensely cultivated — at present with turnips and beets. 

 This growth I am told is a second planting. The first is a grain crop, 

 and the vegetables are then put in to fertilize the ground, and also serve 

 as a food for both man and beast. During our marches we were never 

 "empty," as the turnips were always near us in great plenty. They 

 proved life-savers to me many times when our chow-wagon was not on 

 time ; but once in the good old U. S. A. again, I am inclined to remove 

 this specie of the vegetable kingdom from my visiting list. I've had my 

 fill. Army stew is another form of filler that I intend to sever relations 

 with also. Heinz must have been in the service at one time, and ob- 

 tained his idea about 57 varieties while doing his bit. Most of the time 

 our food is fine, especially when we are at some resting-point. During 

 the marches it's hard to feed 300 men from a field kitchen; but some- 

 how it has been seldom that we had to dig down into our sacks and get 

 out our reserve rations, consisting of hard bread and bully beef. The 

 latter is a corned beef, and is affectionately known as "canned willy" by 

 the boys. We also carry a pressed package of coffee large enough to 



