thic chapel
with fine altar, and the men who attended always enjoyed the (p. 102)
services there. Round the farm was a large moat full of good sized
gold-fish, which the men used to catch surreptitiously and fry for
their meals. "The Piggeries" was a large building in which the King of
the Belgians had kept a fine breed of pigs. It was very long and
furnished inside with two rows of styes built solidly of concrete.
These were full of straw, and in them the men slept.

I was visiting one of the battalions there one evening, when I heard
that they had been ordered to go back to the trenches before Sunday. I
told some of the men that I thought that, as they would be in the
trenches on Sunday, it would be a good idea if we had a voluntary
service that evening. They seemed pleased, so I collected quite a
large congregation at one end of the Piggeries, and was leading up to
the service by a little overture in the shape of a talk about the war
outlook, when I became aware that there was a fight going on at the
other end of the low building, and that some of the men on the
outskirts of the congregation were beginning to get restive. I knew
that a voluntary service could not stand up against the rivalry of a
fight, so I thought I had better take the bull by the horns. I said,
"Boys, I think there is a fight going on at the ether end of the
Piggeries, and perhaps it would be well to postpone the service and go
and see the fight, and then return and carry on." The men were much
relieved and, amid great laughter, my congregation broke loose and ran
to the other end of the building, followed by myself. The fight was
soon settled by the intervention of a sergeant, and then I said, "Now,
Boys, let us go back to the other end and have the service." I thought
the change of location might have a good effect upon their minds and
souls. So back we went again to the other end of the building and
there had a really enthusiastic and devout service. When it was over,
I told the men that nothing helped so much to make a service bright
and hearty as the inclusion of a fight, and that when I returned to
Canada, if at any time my congregation was listless or sleepy, I would
arrange a fight on the other side of the street to which we could
adjourn and from which we should return with renewed spiritual
fervour. I have met many men at different times who look back upon
that service with pleasure.

We had a feeling that Ploegsteert was to be o