age of human life in war is tremendous. The
battalions have to be filled and refilled again and again. Don't
decide in a hurry, but think over what I have told you." On the next
evening when I returned from Quebec, I went to the Colonel and said,
"I have thought the matter over and I am going."

The time was now drawing near for our departure and at last word was
sent round that General Hughes wished to meet all the chaplains on the
verandah of his bungalow. The time set was the cheerful hour of five
a.m. I lay awake all night with a loud ticking alarm clock beside me,
till about half an hour before the wretched thing was to go off. With
great expedition I rose and shaved and making myself as smart as
possible in the private's uniform, hurried off to the General's camp
home. There the other chaplains were assembled, about twenty-five (p. 022)
or thirty in all. We all felt very sleepy and very chilly as we waited
with expectancy the utterance which was going to seal our fate. The
General soon appeared in all the magnificence and power of his
position. We rose and saluted. When he metaphorically told us to
"stand easy", we all sat down. I do not know what the feelings of the
others were, but I had an impression that we were rather an awkward
squad, neither fish, flesh, nor fowl. The General gave us a heart to
heart talk. He told us he was going to send us with "the boys." From
his manner I inferred that he looked upon us a kind of auxiliary and
quite dispensable sanitary section. I gathered that he did not want us
to be very exacting as to the performance of religious duties by the
men. Rather we were to go in and out amongst them, make friends of
them and cheer them on their way. Above all we were to remember that
because a man said "Damn", it did not mean necessarily that he was
going to hell. At the conclusion of the address, we were allowed to
ask questions, and one of our number unadvisedly asked if he would be
allowed to carry a revolver. "No," said Sam with great firmness, "take
a bottle of castor oil." We didn't dare to be amused at the incident
in the presence of the Chief, but we had a good laugh over it when we
got back to our tents.

Two Sundays before we left, the most remarkable church parade in the
history of the division was held, at which fully fifteen thousand men
were present. The Senior Chaplain asked me to preach. A large platform
had been erected, on which the chaplains stood, and on the platform