in khaki. It was a
great sensation to feel oneself at last merged into the great army
life and no longer free to come and go. I looked at the City and saw
the familiar outline of the Terrace and Chateau Frontenac and, over
all, the Citadel, one of my favourite haunts in times past. A great
gulf separated us now from the life we had known. We began to realize
that the individual was submerged in the great flood of corporate
life, and the words of the text came to me, "He that loseth his life
for My sake shall find it."

The evening was spent in settling down to our new quarters in what
was, especially after the camp at Valcartier, a luxurious home. Dinner
at night became the regimental mess, and the saloon with its sumptuous
furnishings made a fine setting for the nightly gathering of officers.
We lay stationary all that night and on the next evening, Sept. the
29th, at six o'clock we weighed anchor and went at slow speed down the
stream. Several other vessels had preceded us, the orders to move
being sent by wireless. We passed the Terrace where cheer after cheer
went up from the black line of spectators crowded against the railing.
Our men climbed up into the rigging and their cheers went forth to the
land that they were leaving. It was a glorious evening. The sun had
set and the great golden light, fast deepening into crimson, burnt
behind the northern hills and lit up the windows of the houses on the
cliffs of Levis opposite. We moved down past the Custom House. We saw
the St. Charles Valley and the Beauport shore, but ever our eyes
turned to the grim outline of Cape Diamond and the city set upon the
hill. Beside me on the upper deck stood a young officer. We were
talking together and wondering if we should ever see that rock again.
He never did. He and his only brother were killed in the war. We
reached the end of the Island of Orleans, and looking back saw a
deeper crimson flood the sky, till the purple mists of evening hid
Quebec from our view.

We had a lovely sail down the St. Lawrence in superb weather and (p. 026)
three days later entered the great harbour of Gaspe Basin. Here the
green arms of the hills encompassed us, as though Canada were
reluctant to let us go. Gaspe Basin has historical memories for
Canada, for it was there that Wolfe assembled his fleet on his voyage
to the capture of Quebec. We lay at anchor all day, and at night the
moon came up and flooded the great water with light, against whic