World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
show of wealth as in America, but substantial old country seats. At the
base of the cliffs are little villages and the cliffs themselves are
dotted with doors and windows where the peasants have cut cave
dwellings.
But here we approach Bordeaux. Considerable manufacturing is done in the
suburbs, but there seems to be little smoke. Every factory has an
orchard and garden in its back yard, and rows of poplars hide its dump
heaps. The river is lined with docks and as we come to where the large
boats are anchored a burst of color in the form of flags of all nations
greets us, and what a pleasant surprise—the Stars and Stripes float on
the top of every mast. France celebrates the Fourth of July, and from
the ferries that hurry about us cheer after cheer came up, “_Vive
l’Amérique_.” The sailors of our ship formed a snake dance and went all
over the decks behind a silk flag singing _The Star-Spangled Banner_ and
then the passengers joined in answer with the _Marseillaise_, whistles
shriek and fog horns bellow as the gangplank shoots out. Then down the
gangplank, behind the gorgeous silk banner, march two hundred and fifty
khaki-clad Americans and draw up four abreast on the platform.
Crowds lined the streets that lead to the railroad station. American
flags waved from windows and people cheered and clapped as we sang our
marching song, _Smile, Smile, Smile_. In the hour before train time we
raided the eating houses in a riot, as sailors are supposed to do when
they first reach land. Then we piled into our special train and with
little delay were off in a cloud of conversation. First attempts at
sleep were not very successful, though we were not crowded on the train,
and everything was very comfortable. At twelve we opened our prize
package luncheons, and each contained a can of sardines, a can of horse
meat, a roll, a package of raisins, nuts, prunes and figs, mixed, and a
bottle of lemon pop. After lunch I stood for two hours looking at the
landscape. The moon was shining, and it was almost as bright as day.
Everything looked so clean and orderly. Neat little villages, all white
and mystic in the moonlight whizzed by. Then I went to sleep on the coat
rack, and woke up in Paris.
_Thursday, July 5, 1917._
“So this is Paris!” It was the general exclamation as we stepped off the
train. In a few moments the crowd had dispersed, and Reed and I found
ourselves lost. By patient endeavor, however, we succeeded in reaching
21 Rue Raynouard. It is a fine old residence, its grounds covering
several blocks, situated in the very heart of Paris. It is older than
the United States, and its artificial terraces are covered with aged
trees. The lawn is now covered with tents and barracks, and it is a
delightful home for the ambulance men. There they come to spend their
leave and to rest. We spent the day in arranging and adjusting
ourselves, and lack of sleep for the last few nights sent most of us
early to bed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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