onsequence were very polite when inadvertently they
found themselves in his august presence. I was clad in a private's
uniform, which was handed to me out of a box in the drill-shed the
night before the 8th Royal Rifles left Quebec, and I was most
punctilious in the matter of saluting General Hughes whenever we
chanced to meet.

The day after we arrived at the camp was a Sunday. The weather looked
dark and showery, but we were to hold our first church parade, (p. 018)
and, as I was the senior chaplain in rank, I was ordered to take it
over. We assembled about three thousand strong, on a little rise in
the ground, and here the men were formed in a hollow square. Rain was
threatening, but perhaps might have held off had it not been for the
action of one of the members of my congregation, who in the rear ranks
was overheard by my son to utter the prayer--"O Lord, have mercy in
this hour, and send us now a gentle shower." The prayer of the young
saint was answered immediately, the rain came down in torrents, the
church parade was called off, and I went back to my tent to get dry.

Day after day passed and more men poured in. They were a splendid lot,
full of life, energy and keen delight in the great enterprise.
Visitors from the city thronged the camp in the afternoons and
evenings. A cinema was opened, but was brought to a fiery end by the
men, who said that the old man in charge of it never changed his
films.

One of the most gruesome experiences I had was taking the funeral of a
young fellow who had committed suicide. I shall never forget the
dismal service which was held, for some reason or other, at ten
o'clock at night. Rain was falling, and we marched off into the woods
by the light of two smoky lanterns to the place selected as a military
cemetery. To add to the weirdness of the scene two pipers played a
dirge. In the dim light of the lanterns, with the dropping rain over
head and the dripping trees around us, we laid the poor boy to rest.
The whole scene made a lasting impression on those who were present.

Meanwhile the camp extended and improvements were made, and many
changes occurred in the disposition of the units. At one time the
Quebec men were joined with a Montreal unit, then they were taken and
joined with a New Brunswick detachment and formed into a battalion. Of
course we grew more military, and I had assigned to me a batman whom I
shall call Stephenson. I selected him because of his piety--he