times. Sometimes as many as a hundred in one week would stay behind and
profess conversion, desiring to yield to the profound spiritual impulse
urging them from within to make Christ's mind and spirit their principle
in life. All had been cast loose from their moorings and had been trying
to find their feet in new surroundings. Most of them were just decent
lads who had never thought much about it before. There were others who
at last saw a chance to make a fresh start and grasped thankfully at it.
A few were 'corner-boys,' learning in discipline and comradeship a
lesson they had never dreamed of. I think there was everywhere in the
new army a certain moral uplift arising from the consciousness of a hard
duty undertaken, and it was not difficult to lead this on to a more
personal and spiritual crisis. There was something very lovable about
them. A tall, handsome fellow from a Canadian lumber camp said, with
real distress in his face, 'I've tried and tried, and, God help me, I
can't. It's no use.' His chum tucked his arm through his and declared
with a warmth of affection in his voice, 'I'll look after him, guv'nor.'

Many months afterwards in a Flemish town I saw some of their batteries
go by clattering over the stony streets. The flashlight from an electric
torch lit up the riders flitting from darkness to darkness on either
side of the broad pencil of light. It showed bronzed faces, competent
gestures, stained uniforms, the marks of veterans, men who had been in
action many times with their guns. I am sure that they do their duty not
only to their king but to One Higher, too, in the words of the brave
motto of their corps, '_Ubique quo fas et gloria ducunt_.'

In April orders came to join the Expeditionary Force.