hell to lay helpless out in the open expecting a bullet or bomb any moment. Of course we got no sleep & about 2 a.m. the order was given to fall in. A big interval was kept between each platoon & when we drew closer to the battle line Fritz shelled us heavily with gas. The sky seemed to be a burn- int red caused by the enormous quantity of shells exploding all around us, & the air was filled with poisonous stuff. We all dove into our gas masks but not before I got a nice whiff of the mustard species. It was a torture to march with a stifling mask on, the skies overhead full of screaming shells & dead men laying on the road side. Ahead of us a whole village was in flames & in the flickering light, amid the roar of mighty guns, the files of armed men looked grim & deadly. One lad in my rear kept clutching my coat tail, while another on my left insisted on locking arms. I didn't like this dis- play of timidity but said nothing. I thought half of us would be killed before we reached the line & twice, when shells whizzed close to my head & exploded just a few feet to the right, I thought our turn had come.