hold in store for us in
this great and rich Dominion which stretches from sea to sea and from
the river unto the world's end, depended upon our coming out victors
in the great European struggle.

CHAPTER III. (p. 030)

ON SALISBURY PLAIN.

_October 18th, 1914, to January 1st, 1915._

On Sunday the 18th, our men entrained and travelled to Patney, and
from thence marched to Westdown South, Salisbury Plain. There tents
had been prepared and we settled down to life in our new English home.
At first the situation was very pleasant. Around us on all sides
spread the lines of tents. The weather was delightful. A ride over the
mysterious plain was something never to be forgotten. The little
villages around were lovely and quaint. The old town of Salisbury,
with its wonderful Cathedral and memories of old England, threw the
glamour of romance and chivalry over the new soldiers in the new
crusade. But winter drew on, and such a winter it was. The rains
descended, the floods came and the storms beat upon our tents, and the
tents which were old and thin allowed a fine sprinkling of moisture to
fall upon our faces. The green sward was soon trampled into deep and
clinging mud. There was nothing for the men to do. Ammunition was
short, there was little rifle practice. The weather was so bad that a
route march meant a lot of wet soldiers with nowhere to dry their
clothes upon their return. In some places the mud went over my long
rubber boots. The gales of heaven swept over the plain unimpeded.
Tents were blown down. On one particularly gloomy night, I met a
chaplain friend of mine in the big Y.M.C.A. marquee. I said to him,
"For goodness sake let us do something for the men. Let us have a
sing-song." He agreed, and we stood in the middle of the marquee with
our backs to the pole and began to sing a hymn. I do not know what it
was. I started the air and was going on so beautifully that the men
were beginning to be attracted and were coming around us. Suddenly my
friend struck in with a high tenor note. Hardly had the sound gone
forth when, like the fall of the walls of Jericho at the sound of
Joshua's trumpets, a mighty gale struck the building, and with a
ripping sound the whole thing collapsed. In the rain and darkness we
rushed to the assistance of the attendants and extinguished the lamps,
which had been upset, while the men made their way to the counters and
put th