It was one of the most exciting scenes I ever witnessed, our march for miles through the crowded boulevards to the station of the Northern Railway.  Dr. Sims walked behind his own horses, which headed the procession, and the throng everywhere commented admiringly upon the chic of the fine animals.  The American ladies—­there were three of them—­marched beside the wagons, bearing the French and American colors and the red cross of the International ambulance.  We filled and emptied and refilled our sacks with the Napoleons from the monde in their flash barouches and from the loungers of the clubs, and with the greasy sous of the workingmen and grisettes.  Many took out purses containing five sous and gave three:  many took out purses containing silver and copper, and gave the silver.  Old men with feeble sight and hearing would hobble up to us through the crowd and ask, “What is this?”

“For the wounded,” we would say—­“for France!”

And trembling hands would be thrust into pockets, and “God’s blessing on you!” would go with their silver or sous.

Well, well, it was a great day.  It was, I believe, the largest collection ever taken up in Paris for the wounded.  We shouted ourselves hoarse when the train bore the corps away for Mezieres.  They served through the war, part of the time with the French, part of the time with the Prussians.  Many of them have since been decorated by both governments.

It is to Dr. Evans that the American ambulance owes more perhaps than to any one man.  It supported itself, our corps did, and Dr. Evans furnished the largest portion of the money.  He had some American ambulance-wagons and the material for a field hospital brought over and exhibited at the Exposition of 1867, and these were still in his possession.  They were early offered to the American corps, but a misunderstanding between Dr. Evans and Dr. Sims caused the latter to go to the field with wagons, etc. furnished by the International ambulance.  So we who formed the American corps at Paris during the siege had the use of Dr. Evans’s wagons and material.  The doctor himself accompanied the empress in her flight; but from England he sent money whenever he could get it into Paris, and did all in his power for the ambulance.

Some time before the Prussians had closed in upon us it was ordered that the useless mouths (bouches inutiles) should leave the city.  Of course thousands left.  We who remained expected we should have to go into the ranks.  I liked the excitement of the thing, and stayed through it all.  Meanwhile, Dr. John Swinburne, who was formerly, I believe, a health officer of New York, had been invited to take charge of the American hospital at Paris.  Dr. Evans’s tents were pitched in the Avenue de l’Imperatrice, in the place where the dog-show used to be.  This was our headquarters all through the siege, though at last, as winter came on, the tents were not large or comfortable enough to hold