ursued a northerly course, and at nine o'clock
that night anchor was dropped in lower Bedford Bay, at Halifax. Early
next morning we steamed up into the inner harbor and before us lay the
sadly devastated city of Halifax. Immense areas of the city had been
totally destroyed by the explosion resulting from the collision between
a Belgian relief ship and one bearing a cargo of explosives.

That day and the next, while waiting for our convoy to assemble, was
spent in practicing with lowered boats.

Late on the afternoon of April 9th our convoy of ten passenger and cargo
ships passed out of the harbor, sped by the cheers of the crews of two
American battleships. We were escorted by _U. S. S. St. Louis_ and _H.
M. S. Victoria_.

Boat drill, a well-ordered scramble for life boats, took place twice
daily. Each morning we indulged in strenuous setting-up exercises in
order that we might remain in trim. Practice with depth bombs and smoke
screens helped to relieve the tedium of the long trip.

As we neared our unknown destination, our escort was increased by ten
British torpedo boat destroyers. Veritable sea dogs they were, darting
every which-way, breasting wave after wave, ever watchful for the tricky
Hun.

And then, on Friday. April 19th, land! Just a ridge above the
horizon--the blue hills of Wales--but already we could feel in our
imaginations the solidity which our unsailorly legs had missed.

As the day waned we sighted the lighthouse at the mouth of the River
Mersey. With cheers of relief we were permitted to doff our bulky life
belts. Just before dusk we entered the Mersey, passing closely by the
beautiful seaside resort of New Brighton.

Forging up the river we reached Liverpool and, at nine o'clock that
evening, after almost fourteen days afloat, our transport was moored.
The city, as we saw it from the decks of the _Justicia_, lay quietly,
with lights beginning to twinkle in the increasing gloom.

One by one the companies formed and debarked, and at 11:15 P.M. B
Company marched down the gang plank, thru half-lighted sheds, into those
curious side-door railway cars so peculiar to Europe. Exactly at
midnight our train pulled out of Liverpool. At 3:00 A.M. a short stop
for hot coffee was made at Rugby. We passed thru the outskirts of London
at 6:00 A.M. and at nine-twenty the train rolled into the terminal at
Dover.

The private yacht of Belgium's Queen Elizabeth had been pressed into
service as a cross-chann