s, the usual procedure being
to stick his head in the tent flap and say, "Any complaints, boys?" and
walk on without waiting for an answer. One day he came to our tent and
standing in the tent door asked the usual question. One of the boys
was a college-bred Englishman, and he spoke up and said, "Oh, I say,
old chap, there's no complaint, but, deah boy, I wish you would take
your foot out of my mess tin--you are spoiling all my dinnah." The
officer and the boys just roared. I suppose most of us compared it
with the picturesque language we would have made use of.

Bob went home on leave about this time, and while in London he ran
across an old schoolmate of his who was also home on leave. The lad's
name was Harold Rust. He had spent several years in Canada, but
happened to be in England when the war broke out and he had joined up
with a London regiment. He had been one of Kitchener's "Contemptible
Little Army" and had seen considerable service in France--he had been
wounded and at the time Bob met him was home on sick leave--but he had
been in America too long to enjoy the discipline of the British Army,
and as he said himself he was "fed up" with it. So he asked Bob if
there was any chance of getting into our brigade. He had tried several
times to get a transfer into the Canadians, but each time he was turned
down, so he said if Bob could get him in he would desert his own
regiment and so save all the trouble of a transfer. Bob told him to
send in an application to our Colonel, and shortly after Bob returned
Colonel Embury sent for him. He said: "Goddard, I have here a letter
from a man in London; he says he is a Canadian, and as all his chums
are here, he wants to join the 28th. Do you know him?" "Yes, Sir, I
knew him in Winnipeg," says Master Bob. "Well," said the Colonel, "we
are one or two under strength, so I'll see what I can do." Bob came
back tickled to death and told Tommy, Bink, and me all about it. If he
got in we saw where we would have no end of fun having a fellow with us
who had seen service in France and no one knowing it but ourselves.
Well, a few nights later we were sitting in our tent foot-sore and
dog-tired after an all-day route march when in walks Rust. Bob jumped
up and made the introduction; he had been sent for to come down and
take his medical examination. We wondered how he would ever get
through without the Doctor seeing his wounds, but when he came up for
his examination h