oems and spend the whole day beside
the river, reading and dozing and listening to the myriad small voices
of the woods.

Still, the centre of interest now was the camp, with its turmoil and
bustle and indefinite longing to be up and doing. The officer
commanding my battalion had brought his own chaplain with him, and it
was plainly evident that I was not wanted. This made it, I must
confess, somewhat embarrassing. My tent, which was at the corner of
the front line, was furnished only with my bed-roll and a box or two,
and was not a particularly cheerful home. I used to feel rather (p. 020)
lonely at times. Now and then I would go to Quebec for the day. On one
occasion, when I had been feeling particularly seedy, I returned to
camp at eleven o'clock at night. It was cold and rainy. I made my way
from the station to my tent. In doing so I had to pass a Highland
Battalion from Vancouver. When I came to their lines, to my dismay I
was halted by a sentry with a fixed bayonet, who shouted in the
darkness, "Who goes there?" I gave the answer, but instead of being
satisfied with my reply, the wretched youth stood unmoved, with his
bayonet about six inches from my body, causing me a most unpleasant
sensation. He said I should have to come to the guardroom and be
identified. In the meantime, another sentry appeared, also with a
fixed bayonet, and said that I had to be identified. Little did I
think that the whole thing was a game of the young rascals, and that
they were beguiling the tedious moments of the sentry-go by pulling a
chaplain's leg. They confessed it to me months afterwards in France.
However, I was unsuspecting and had come submissive into the great
war. I said that if they would remove their bayonets from propinquity
to my person--because the sight of them was causing me a fresh attack
of the pains that had racked me all day--I would go with them to the
guardroom. At this they said, "Well, Sir, we'll let you pass. We'll
take your word and say no more about it." So off I went to my dripping
canvas home, hoping that the war would be brought to a speedy
termination.

Every night I used to do what I called "parish visiting." I would go
round among the tents, and sitting on the ground have a talk with the
men. Very interesting and charming these talks were. I was much
impressed with the miscellaneous interests and life histories of the
men who had been so quickly drawn together. All were fast being shaken
down int