just decided the question when along came my chum Stevens, and I said,
"Well, I'm jumping the job this morning, Steve." He said, "Why? What
the devil is eating you now? Don't you know when you are well off?" I
said, "Yes, Steve, I do; but it is like this--ever since you and I went
to town the other day I have been thinking this thing over." "Thinking
what?" "Why, about the war, of course--I can't get it out of my head.
There is going to be the devil of a scrap over there--and say, boy!
I've got to get into it! When I hear of what Germany is doing to poor
little Belgium it makes my blood boil--I have worked with the Germans,
and I have a little idea of what it would mean to turn the world over
to them--so I'm off to draw my time." Well, when I came back from the
boss's cabin, I found Steve packing up, and I said, "Why, what's the
matter, Steve?" He said, "Oh hell! if you're going, I'm going too;" so
we started off together.

We had a twelve-mile hike to the nearest town, and that night we took
the train for Winnipeg. We stayed off in Moose Jaw to see some boys
that we knew, and of course we told them that we were on our way to
enlist. To our surprise we found that they were planning to join a
company that was being recruited in Moose Jaw, and they urged us to
sign up with them. We thought it would be nice to be with some one we
knew, so one morning we lined up with three or four hundred others to
be examined for the Army. They had room for only two hundred and fifty
men, and as we stood in line we looked around to size up the bunch and
see what our chances were for getting in. They were a husky-looking
lot, and all were eager to go. I remember one big fellow near the end
of the line offered me five dollars for my place. I said, "Go to hell
with your five dollars." Afterwards in the trenches, when we were
knee-deep in mud and the big shells were bursting around us, he could
have had my place and welcome. Well, we were all taken on, and we got
our first taste of drilling and marching. For about a week we were
marched around the streets of Moose Jaw--flags were flying--bands
playing--and we were the centre of interest. The last night we were
there, the city tendered us a banquet and an old South African veteran
gave us a farewell speech. Among other things, he said, "Well, boys,
you belong to the Army now [they didn't let us forget it very long].
The first thing you must learn is discipline," and he gave