I
noticed that the General who led was a short chunky man with grey
hair. He passed up and down the Montreal Regiment and went back and
forwards through it. I expected he would go to the left but he headed
straight for me, and I recognized the Commander-in-Chief, Sir John
French, as already told.

In the afternoon after the review I met Canon Scott, who had lost (?)
his way and had come up to the Front with the troops. I asked him to
dine with me at a little Flemish restaurant, and we had an excellent
Flemish dinner. The proprietress was a very lively creature. She
chattered in French and broken English like a magpie, and flew here
and there as lively as if she were on the stage. The Canon said the
whole affair was like a scene from a French comedy.

Canon Scott was a well known poet and churchman in Canada. His son was
an officer in one of the Canadian battalions, and was subsequently
wounded. Canon Scott had volunteered as Chaplain with the First
Contingent, giving up a fashionable congregation in Quebec city. I
took him on the strength of our battalion from that night.

The men all behaved very well indeed. It had been given out in
Divisional orders that several men had fallen out of the line of march
for drunkenness, in other regiments, and been shot. The Canadians were
all too keen to get to the front for anything like that.

[Illustration: CHURCH STEEPLE WHERE V.C. WAS WON]

On Sunday, February 21st, I arranged that Canon Scott should preach to
the regiment in the morning. We marched out to a green field about a
quarter of a mile from the village and formed up in a hollow square.
The day was bright and clear, a typical March day in Canada. The
ground was very wet and soggy, but the sun shone out bravely. The
scene was very impressive. There was no wind and to the northeast of
us, about three or four miles away, a terrible battle was going on.
The drum fire of the guns shook the earth, and sometimes the good
Canon could hardly be heard. He remarked about this unique experience
of holding his first service in Flanders within sound of cannon. We
sang the hymns quite cheerfully and then he left to attend another
service.

I said a few words of thanks to my men, and then we marched back to
billets.

CHAPTER XIV

UNDER HIEX SHELLS

"I understand that orders have just arrived at the orderly room that
we are to march up to the trenches to-morrow. I guess we will have to
close the officers' mess t