The company to which he was joined had two "Gatling guns" or "Mitrailleuses" as the French called them.

It was drill, drill all day long and as the pay was now only six cents a day and payments only once a week, they had but little chance to play their favorite game of "Petit paquet," a game that had been more regular than prayers in the camp of the "Franc-tireurs." Having become thoroughly drilled in the use of the "Gatling gun" the company was ordered to the front.

One evening a comrade said to Paul: "We will have bloody work to-morrow.
General Menteuffel's army is advancing and all the out posts have been driven in." But the expected battle was never fought.

That night news came that caused a heavy gloom to settle on the camp.

No longer the laughing joke passed from comrade to comrade.