Following the German fashion, the soldiers had decorated each car with field flowers and sheaves of wheat and boughs of trees, and even with long paper streamers of red and white and black.

Also, the artists and wags of the detachment had been busy with colored chalks.

There was displayed on one car a lively crayon picture of a very fierce, two-tailed Bavarian lion eating up his enemies--a nation at a bite.
Another car bore a menu: Russian caviar Servian rice meat English roast beef Belgian ragout French pastry Upon this same car was lettered a bit of crude verse, which, as we had come to know, was a favorite with the German private.

By my poor translation it ran somewhat as follows: For the Slav, a kick we have, And for the Jap a slap; The Briton too--we'll beat him blue, And knock the Frenchman flat.
Altogether the train had quite the holidaying air about it and the men who traveled on it had the same spirit too.

They were Bavarians--all new troops, and nearly all young fellows.