3rd Brigades. When these had reached their objective the 2nd Brigade
was to "leap frog" them and push on to Haynecourt and beyond. I was
glad that I had come provided for the expedition, and bidding good-bye
to General Thacker, whose parting injunction was not to do anything
foolish, I got out of the quarry and made my way down the hill towards
Inchy. A railway bridge which crossed the road near me was a constant
mark for German shells, and it was well to avoid it. An officer met me
and asked where I was going. I said, "I don't know, but I think the
Spirit is leading me to the old 14th Battalion in Buissy Switch Trench."
He told me the direction to take, which was to cross the road and
follow the line of railway. The tins of milk and bully-beef cut (p. 306)
into my back so I stopped by a culvert and taking off my pack and
tunic, sat on the ground and cooled off. There was no sign of Buissy
Switch anywhere, but I got up and went on. The evening was closing in
by this time, and, as I am never good at seeing in the dark, it began
to be difficult to keep from tripping over things. At last the road
brought me to a trench in which I found the 14th Battalion. They were
getting ready to move off at midnight and wait in the wood by the edge
of the Canal until the barrage opened. It made one proud to be with
those young men that evening and think what they were called upon to
do. What difficulties they would encounter in the Canal they did not
know. They said they might have to swim. We hoped, however, that there
was not much water, as the canal was still unfinished.

I said good-bye to them and wished them all good-luck. Crossing the
road I entered another trench, where I found the 13th Battalion, and
beyond them came to the 1st Battalion. By this time, it was dark and
rainy, and the ground was very slippery. I had to feel my way along
the trench. A company of the 4th Battalion who were to be in the first
wave of the attack, passed on their way forward to take up their
position for the following morning. Probably never in the war had we
experienced a moment of deeper anxiety. The men would have to climb
down one side of the canal, rush across it, and climb up the other. It
seemed inevitable that the slaughter would be frightful. At home in
the cities of Canada things were going on as usual. Profiteers were
heaping up their piles of gold. Politicians were carrying on the
government, or working in opposition, in the interests o