yards, but the sun was out and up before we had loaded ourselves and baggage aboard the steamer "Grand Republic" and headed out into the East River for the trip around Manhattan Island. The "Rumor Association" which had been busily sending us to all destinations from Halifax to a southern training camp, now had it straight that we were to sail from Hoboken on the "Leviathan", and the last lurch and wiggle of the steamer even seemed to point us more surely toward the piers where the huge bulk of the once-German liner was plainly showing. Any enthusiasm over the idea of making the voyage on such a ship was short-lived, and we gazed on the wreck of another rumor as we slid past a stern marked "Adriatic" and climbed off onto the docks of the White Star Line.

The "Adriatic", however, was large enough to satisfy the most exacting taste, and we were soon filing aboard in pay-roll order, each with a card showing where his quarters were and when he messed. There was some excitement when a steward steered us into the second class compartments, which we thought would do very well, until we were unceremoniously chased out and down to our proper place on the third deck forward, fairly comfortable barring an insufficiency of fresh air.

The "Adriatic" was not exactly a transport but a commercial vessel on which the Government had engaged space. Thus we traveled not as troops but as third class passengers: there is some distinction. A Royal Mail Steamer, however, is almost a part of the British Navy in time of war. We had a species of

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