custom but included more target practise and more
and longer route marches than usual. The two things we really learned
were how to march and how to shoot, both of which accomplishments
stood us in good stead at a later date.

Leaving Kingston May 5th, 1915, we sailed from Montreal the following
morning on the _Metagama_, a splendid ship of about twelve thousand
tons. We had as company on board, several hospital units, including
about one hundred and fifty Nursing Sisters, all togged up in their
natty blue uniforms and wearing the two stars of First "Leftenant,"
which rank they hold. And, believe me, they deserve it, too. Of course
they were immediately nicknamed the "Bluebirds." Many's the man in
that crowd who has since had cause to bless those same bluebirds in
the hospitals of France and England.

We ran into ice at the mouth of the St. Lawrence and for two days were
constantly in sight of bergs. It was a beautiful spectacle but I'm
afraid we did not properly appreciate it. We remembered the _Titanic_.

Then we got word by wireless that the _Lusitania_ had been torpedoed.
I think an effort was made to suppress this news but it soon ran
throughout the ship. Personally, I did not believe it. I had had
plenty of experience of "soldier stories," which start from nowhere
and amount to nothing, and besides, I could not believe that any
nation that laid any claims to civilization would permit or commit
such an outrage. I began to believe it however when, next day, we
received orders to go down in the hold and get out all our guns and
mount them on deck. We had six guns; two more than the usual allotment
for a battalion; two having been presented to our Commanding Officer,
Lieutenant-Colonel (now Brigadier-General) W. St. Pierre Hughes, by
old associates in Canada, just a few days before our departure.

Two of the guns were mounted on the forward deck, two on the flying
bridge and two on the aft bridge. I'm not sure, to this day, just what
we expected to do against a submarine with those machine guns, but at
any rate they seemed to give an additional feeling of security to the
others on board and of course we machine gunners put up an awful bluff
to persuade them that we could sink any U-boat without the least
difficulty. Of one thing we were sure. Being a troop ship we could
expect no mercy from an enemy and we were at least prepared to make it
hot for any of them who came fooling around within range provided they
cam