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@@ -1,35 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Outwitting the Hun, by Pat O'Brien - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Outwitting the Hun - My Escape from a German Prison Camp - -Author: Pat O'Brien - -Release Date: April 8, 2013 [EBook #42490] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42490 *** [Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and @@ -1011,10 +980,10 @@ America I came from, and I told him "California." After a few more questions he learned that I hailed from San Francisco, and then added to my distress by saying, "How would you like to have a -good juicy steak right out of the Hofbraeu?" Naturally, I told him it +good juicy steak right out of the Hofbräu?" Naturally, I told him it would "hit the spot," but I hardly thought my mouth was in shape just then to eat it. I immediately asked, of course, what he knew about the -Hofbraeu, and he replied, "I was connected with the place a good many +Hofbräu, and he replied, "I was connected with the place a good many years, and I ought to know all about it." After that this German officer and I became rather chummy--that is, as @@ -4574,7 +4543,7 @@ out. The soldiers had not gone more than a few feet ahead of me when they disappeared in the darkness like one of those melting pictures on the moving-picture screen. -As I wandered through the streets I frequently glanced in the cafe +As I wandered through the streets I frequently glanced in the café windows as I passed. German officers were usually dining there, but they didn't conduct themselves with anything like the light-heartedness which characterizes the Allied officers in London and Paris. I was @@ -4732,8 +4701,8 @@ if she had known that it was going to delay my final escape for even a single moment, as it did, I am quite sure she would rather I had never seen it. -On one piece of lace was the Flemish word "_Charite_" and on the -other the word "_Esperance_." At the time, I took these words to mean +On one piece of lace was the Flemish word "_Charité_" and on the +other the word "_Espérance_." At the time, I took these words to mean "Charity" and "Experience," and all I hoped was that I would get as much of the one as I was getting of the other before I finally got through. I learned subsequently that what the words really stood for was @@ -5844,362 +5813,4 @@ End of Transcriber's Notes] End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Outwitting the Hun, by Pat O'Brien -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - -***** This file should be named 42490.txt or 42490.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/9/42490/ - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Outwitting the Hun - My Escape from a German Prison Camp - -Author: Pat O'Brien - -Release Date: April 8, 2013 [EBook #42490] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - -[Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text -as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and -other inconsistencies. Text that has been changed to correct an obvious -error is noted at the end of this ebook.] - - - - -OUTWITTING THE HUN - - -[Illustration: LIEUT. PAT O'BRIEN, R. F. C.] - - - - - OUTWITTING - THE HUN - - _My Escape from a - German Prison Camp_ - - BY - - LIEUT. PAT O'BRIEN - - _Royal Flying Corps_ - - ILLUSTRATED - - [Illustration] - - HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS - NEW YORK AND LONDON - - - OUTWITTING THE HUN - - - Copyright, 1918, by Lieutenant Pat O'Brien - Printed in the United States of America - Published March, 1918 - - - - - TO - - THE NORTH STAR - - WHOSE GUIDING LIGHT MARKED THE - PATHWAY TO FREEDOM FOR A WEARY - FUGITIVE, THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED - IN HUMBLE GRATITUDE - AND ABIDING FAITH - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - PREFACE xi - - I. THE FOLLY OF DESPAIR 1 - - II. I BECOME A FIGHTING-SCOUT 7 - - III. CAPTURED BY THE HUNS 21 - - IV. CLIPPED WINGS 34 - - V. THE PRISON-CAMP AT COURTRAI 53 - - VI. A LEAP FOR LIBERTY 77 - - VII. CRAWLING THROUGH GERMANY 88 - - VIII. NINE DAYS IN LUXEMBOURG 97 - - IX. I ENTER BELGIUM 112 - - X. EXPERIENCES IN BELGIUM 132 - - XI. I ENCOUNTER GERMAN SOLDIERS 145 - - XII. THE FORGED PASSPORT 159 - - XIII. FIVE DAYS IN AN EMPTY HOUSE 186 - - XIV. A NIGHT OF DISSIPATION 207 - - XV. OBSERVATIONS IN A BELGIAN CITY 219 - - XVI. I APPROACH THE FRONTIER 225 - - XVII. GETTING THROUGH THE LINES 236 - - XVIII. EXPERIENCES IN HOLLAND 250 - - XIX. I AM PRESENTED TO THE KING 273 - - XX. HOME AGAIN! 281 - - -[Transcriber's Note: Illustrations were interleaved between pages in the -original text. In this version, they have been moved to be between -paragraphs. Page numbers below reflect the position of the illustration -in the original text.] - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - LIEUT. PAT O'BRIEN, R. F. C. _Frontispiece_ - - THE AEROPLANE WHICH LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN - USED IN HIS LAST BATTLE WITH THE HUNS - WHEN HE WAS BROUGHT DOWN AND - MADE PRISONER _Facing p._ 30 - - THE IDENTIFICATION DISK WORN BY LIEUTENANT - O'BRIEN WHEN HE WAS CAPTURED - BY THE HUNS. IT REVEALED TO - THEM THAT HE WAS AN AMERICAN " 36 - - LIEUT. PAUL H. RANEY OF TORONTO AND LIEUT. - PAT O'BRIEN " 50 - - MAILING-CARD SENT BY GERMAN GOVERNMENT - TO PAT O'BRIEN'S SISTER, MRS. CLARA - CLEGG OF MOMENCE, ILLINOIS " 60 - - OBVERSE SIDE OF CARD SHOWN ABOVE " 60 - - A GROUP OF PRISONERS OF WAR IN THE PRISON-CAMP - AT COURTRAI, BELGIUM " 70 - - THE FORGED PASSPORT PREPARED IN A BELGIAN - CITY TO AID LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN'S - ESCAPE INTO HOLLAND, BUT WHICH WAS - NEVER USED " 164 - - COPY OF TELEGRAM INVITING LIEUTENANT - O'BRIEN TO MEET KING GEORGE " 270 - - COPY OF TELEGRAM SENT BY LIEUTENANT - O'BRIEN IN ANSWER TO AN INVITATION - TO MEET KING GEORGE " 270 - - - - -PREFACE - - -There is a common idea that the age of miracles is past. Perhaps it -is, but if so, the change must have come about within the past few -weeks--after I escaped into Holland. For if anything is certain in this -life it is this: this book never would have been written but for the -succession of miracles set forth in these pages. - -Miracles, luck, coincidence, Providence--it doesn't matter much what you -call it--certainly played an important part in the series of hairbreadth -escapes in which I figured during my short but eventful appearance in -the great drama now being enacted across the seas. Without it, all my -efforts and sufferings would have been quite unavailing. - -No one realizes this better than I do and I want to repeat it right here -because elsewhere in these pages I may appear occasionally to overlook -or minimize it: without the help of Providence I would not be here -to-day. - -But this same Providence which brought me home safely, despite all the -dangers which beset me, may work similar miracles for others, and it is -in the hope of encouraging other poor devils who may find themselves in -situations as hopeless apparently as mine oftentimes were that this book -is written. - -When this cruel war is over--which I trust may be sooner than I expect -it to be--I hope I shall have an opportunity to revisit the scenes of my -adventures and to thank in person in an adequate manner every one who -extended a helping hand to me when I was a wretched fugitive. All of -them took great risks in befriending an escaped prisoner, and they did -it without the slightest hope of reward. At the same time I hope I shall -have a chance to pay my compliments to those who endeavored to take -advantage of my distress. - -In the meanwhile, however, I can only express my thanks in this -ineffective manner, trusting that in some mysterious way a copy of this -book may fall into the hands of every one who befriended me. I hope -particularly that every good Hollander who played the part of the Good -Samaritan to me so bountifully after my escape from Belgium will see -these pages and feel that I am absolutely sincere when I say that words -cannot begin to express my sense of gratitude to the Dutch people. - -It is needless for me to add how deeply I feel for my fellow-prisoners -in Germany who were less fortunate than I. Poor, poor fellows!--they are -the real victims of the war. I hope that every one of them may soon be -restored to that freedom whose value I never fully realized until after -I had had to fight so hard to regain it. - - PAT O'BRIEN. - - MOMENCE, ILLINOIS, _January 14, 1918_. - - - - -OUTWITTING THE HUN - - - - -I - -THE FOLLY OF DESPAIR - - -Less than nine months ago eighteen officers of the Royal Flying Corps, -which had been training in Canada, left for England on the _Megantic_. - -If any of them was over twenty-five years of age, he had successfully -concealed the fact, because they don't accept older men for the R. F. C. - -Nine of the eighteen were British subjects; the other nine were -Americans, who, tired of waiting for their own country to take her place -with the Allies, had joined the British colors in Canada. I was one of -the latter. - -We were going to England to earn our "wings"--a qualification which must -be won before a member of the R. F. C. is allowed to hunt the Huns on -the western front. - -That was in May, 1917. - -By August 1st most of us were full-fledged pilots, actively engaged at -various parts of the line in daily conflict with the enemy. - -By December 15th every man Jack of us who had met the enemy in France, -with one exception, had appeared on the casualty list. The exception -was H. K. Boysen, an American, who at last report was fighting on the -Italian front, still unscathed. Whether his good fortune has stood by -him up to this time I don't know, but if it has I would be very much -surprised. - -Of the others five were killed in action--three Americans, one Canadian, -and one Englishman. Three more were in all probability killed in action, -although officially they are listed merely as "missing." One of these -was an American, one a Canadian, and the third a Scotchman. Three more, -two of them Americans, were seriously wounded. Another, a Canadian, is -a prisoner in Germany. I know nothing of the others. - -What happened to me is narrated in these pages. I wish, instead, I could -tell the story of each of my brave comrades, for not one of them was -downed, I am sure, without upholding the best traditions of the R. F. -C. Unfortunately, however, of the eighteen who sailed on the _Megantic_ -last May, I happened to be the first to fall into the hands of the Huns, -and what befell my comrades after that, with one exception, I know only -second hand. - -The exception was the case of poor, brave Paul Raney--my closest -chum--whose last battle I witnessed from my German prison--but that is a -story I shall tell in its proper place. - -In one way, however, I think the story of my own "big adventure" and my -miraculous escape may, perhaps, serve a purpose as useful as that of -the heroic fate of my less fortunate comrades. Their story, it is true, -might inspire others to deeds of heroism, but mine, I hope, will convey -the equally valuable lesson of the folly of despair. - -Many were the times in the course of my struggles when it seemed -absolutely useless to continue. In a hostile country, where discovery -meant death, wounded, sick, famished, friendless, hundreds of miles -from the nearest neutral territory the frontier of which was so closely -guarded that even if I got there it seemed too much to hope that I could -ever get through, what was the use of enduring further agony? - -And yet here I am, in the Land of Liberty--although in a somewhat -obscure corner, the little town of Momence, Illinois, where I was -born--not very much the worse for wear after all I've been through, and, -as I write these words, not eight months have passed since my seventeen -comrades and I sailed from Canada on the _Megantic_! - -Can it be possible that I was spared to convey a message of hope to -others who are destined for similar trials? I am afraid there will be -many of them. - -Years ago I heard of the epitaph which is said to have been found on a -child's grave: - - If I was so soon to be done for, - O Lord, what was I ever begun for? - -The way it has come to me since I returned from Europe is: - - If, O Lord, I was _not_ to be done for, - What were my sufferings e'er begun for? - -Perhaps the answer lies in the suggestion I have made. - -At any rate, if this record of my adventures should prove instrumental -in sustaining others who need encouragement, I shall not feel that my -sufferings were in vain. - -It is hardly likely that any one will quite duplicate my experiences, -but I haven't the slightest doubt that many will have to go through -trials equally nerve-racking and suffer disappointments just as -disheartening. - -It would be very far from the mark to imagine that the optimism which I -am preaching now so glibly sustained me through all my troubles. On the -contrary, I am free to confess that I frequently gave way to despair -and often, for hours at a time, felt so dejected and discouraged that -I really didn't care what happened to me. Indeed, I rather hoped that -something _would_ happen to put an end to my misery. - -But, despite all my despondency and hopelessness, the worst never -happened, and I can't help thinking that my salvation must have been -designed to show the way to others. - - - - -II - -I BECOME A FIGHTING-SCOUT - - -I started flying, in Chicago, in 1912. I was then eighteen years old, -but I had had a hankering for the air ever since I can remember. - -As a youngster I followed the exploits of the Wrights with the greatest -interest, although I must confess I sometimes hoped that they wouldn't -really conquer the air until I had had a whack at it myself. I got more -whacks than I was looking for later on. - -Needless to say, my parents were very much opposed to my risking my -life at what was undoubtedly at that time one of the most hazardous -"pastimes" a young fellow could select, and every time I had a smash-up -or some other mishap I was ordered never to go near an aviation field -again. - -So I went out to California. There another fellow and I built our own -machine, which we flew in various parts of the state. - -In the early part of 1916, when trouble was brewing in Mexico, I joined -the American Flying Corps. I was sent to San Diego, where the army -flying school is located, and spent about eight months there, but as I -was anxious to get into active service and there didn't seem much chance -of America ever getting into the war, I resigned and, crossing over to -Canada, joined the Royal Flying Corps at Victoria, B. C. - -I was sent to Camp Borden, Toronto, first to receive instruction and -later to instruct. While a cadet I made the first loop ever made -by a cadet in Canada, and after I had performed the stunt I half -expected to be kicked out of the service for it. Apparently, however, -they considered the source and let it go at that. Later on I had the -satisfaction of introducing the loop as part of the regular course of -instruction for cadets in the R. F. C., and I want to say right here -that Camp Borden has turned out some of the best fliers that have ever -gone to France. - -In May, 1917, I and seventeen other Canadian fliers left for England on -the _Megantic_, where we were to qualify for service in France. - -Our squadron consisted of nine Americans, C. C. Robinson, H. A. Miller, -F. S. McClurg, A. A. Allen, E. B. Garnett, H. K. Boysen, H. A. Smeeton, -A. Taylor, and myself; and nine Britishers, Paul H. Raney, J. R. Park, -C. Nelmes, C. R. Moore, T. L. Atkinson, F. C. Conry, A. Muir, E. A. L. -F. Smith, and A. C. Jones. - -Within a few weeks after our arrival in England all of us had won our -"wings"--the insignia worn on the left breast by every pilot on the -western front. - -We were all sent to a place in France known as the Pool Pilots' Mess. -Here men gather from all the training squadrons in Canada and England -and await assignments to the particular squadron of which they are to -become members. - -The Pool Pilots' Mess is situated a few miles back of the lines. -Whenever a pilot is shot down or killed the Pool Pilots' Mess is -notified to send another to take his place. - -There are so many casualties every day in the R. F. C. at one point of -the front or another that the demand for new pilots is quite active, -but when a fellow is itching to get into the fight as badly as I and my -friends were I must confess that we got a little impatient, although we -realized that every time a new man was called it meant that some one -else had, in all probability, been killed, wounded, or captured. - -One morning an order came in for a scout pilot, and one of my friends -was assigned. I can tell you the rest of us were as envious of him as -if it were the last chance any of us were ever going to have to get to -the front. As it was, however, hardly more than three hours had elapsed -before another wire was received at the Mess and I was ordered to -follow my friend. I afterward learned that as soon as he arrived at the -squadron he had prevailed upon the commanding officer of the squadron to -wire for me. - -At the Pool Pilots' Mess it was the custom of the officers to wear -"shorts"--breeches that are about eight inches long, like the Boy Scouts -wear, leaving a space of about eight inches of open country between the -top of the puttees and the end of the "shorts." The Australians wore -them in Salonica and at the Dardanelles. - -When the order came in for me, I had these "shorts" on, and I didn't -have time to change into other clothes. Indeed, I was in such a sweat to -get to the front that if I had been in my pajamas I think I would have -gone that way. As it was, it was raining and I threw an overcoat over -me, jumped into the machine, and we made record time to the aerodrome to -which I had been ordered to report. - -As I alighted from the automobile my overcoat blew open and displayed -my manly form attired in "shorts" instead of in the regulation flying -breeches, and the sight aroused considerable commotion in camp. - -"Must be a Yankee!" I overheard one officer say to another as I -approached. "No one but a Yank would have the cheek to show up that way, -you know!" - -But they laughed good-naturedly as I came up to them and welcomed me to -the squadron, and I was soon very much at home. - -My squadron was one of four stationed at an aerodrome about eighteen -miles back of the Ypres line. There were eighteen pilots in our -squadron, which was a scout-squadron, scout-machines carrying but one -man. - -A scout, sometimes called a fighting-scout, has no bomb-dropping or -reconnoitering to do. His duty is just to fight, or, as the order was -given to me, "You are expected to pick fights and not wait until they -come to you!" - -When bomb-droppers go out over the lines in the daytime, a -scout-squadron usually convoys them. The bomb-droppers fly at about -twelve thousand feet, the scouts a thousand feet or so above them to -protect them. - -If at any time they should be attacked, it is the duty of the scouts to -dive down and carry on the fight, the orders of the bomb-droppers being -to go on dropping bombs and not to fight unless they have to. There is -seldom a time that machines go out over the lines on this work in the -daytime that they are not attacked at some time or other, and so the -scouts usually have plenty of work to do. In addition to these attacks, -however, the squadron is invariably under constant bombardment from the -ground, but that doesn't worry us very much, as we know pretty well how -to avoid being hit from that quarter. - -On my first flight, after joining the squadron, I was taken out over -the lines to get a look at things, map out my location in case I was -ever lost, locate the forests, lakes, and other landmarks, and get the -general lay of the land. - -One thing that was impressed upon me very emphatically was the location -of the hospitals, so that in case I was ever wounded and had the -strength to pick my landing I could land as near as possible to a -hospital. All these things a new pilot goes through during the first two -or three days after joining a squadron. - -Our regular routine was two flights a day, each of two hours' duration. -After doing our regular patrol, it was our privilege to go off on our -own hook, if we wished, before going back to the squadron. - -I soon found out that my squadron was some hot squadron, our fliers -being almost always assigned to special-duty work, such as shooting up -trenches at a height of fifty feet from the ground! - -I received my baptism into this kind of work the third time I went out -over the lines, and I would recommend it to any one who is hankering for -excitement. You are not only apt to be attacked by hostile aircraft from -above, but you are swept by machine-gun fire from below. I have seen -some of our machines come back from this work sometimes so riddled with -bullets that I wondered how they ever held together. Before we started -out on one of these jobs we were mighty careful to see that our motors -were in perfect condition, because they told us the "war-bread was bad -in Germany." - -One morning, shortly after I joined the squadron, three of us started -over the line on our own accord. We soon observed four enemy machines, -two-seaters, coming toward us. This type of machine is used by the Huns -for artillery work and bomb-dropping, and we knew they were on mischief -bent. Each machine had a machine-gun in front, worked by the pilot, and -the observer also had a gun with which he could spray all around. - -When we first noticed the Huns our machines were about six miles back of -the German lines and we were lying high up in the sky, keeping the sun -behind us, so that the enemy could not see us. - -We picked out three of the machines and dove down on them. I went right -by the man I picked for myself and his observer in the rear seat kept -pumping at me to beat the band. Not one of my shots took effect as I -went right under him, but I turned and gave him another burst of bullets -and down he went in a spinning nose dive, one of his wings going one way -and one another. As I saw him crash to the ground I knew that I had got -my first hostile aircraft. One of my comrades was equally successful, -but the other two German machines got away. We chased them back until -things got too hot for us by reason of the appearance of other German -machines, and then we called it a day. - -This experience whetted my appetite for more of the same kind, and I did -not have long to wait. - -It may be well to explain here just what a spinning nose dive is. A -few years ago the spinning nose dive was considered one of the most -dangerous things a pilot could attempt, and many men were killed -getting into this spin and not knowing how to come out of it. In fact, -lots of pilots thought that when once you got into a spinning nose dive -there was no way of coming out of it. It is now used, however, in actual -flying. - -The machines that are used in France are controlled in two ways, both -by hands and by feet, the feet working the yoke or rudder bar which -controls the rudder that steers the machine. The lateral controls and -fore and aft, which cause the machine to rise or lower, are controlled -by a contrivance called a "joy-stick." If, when flying in the air, a -pilot should release his hold on this stick, it will gradually come back -toward the pilot. - -In that position the machine will begin to climb. So if a pilot is shot -and loses control of this "joy-stick" his machine begins to ascend, and -climbs until the angle formed becomes too great for it to continue or -the motor to pull the plane; for a fraction of a second it stops, and -the motor then being the heaviest, it causes the nose of the machine to -fall forward, pitching down at a terrific rate of speed and spinning at -the same time. If the motor is still running, it naturally increases the -speed much more than it would if the motor were shut off, and there is -great danger that the wings will double up, causing the machine to break -apart. Although spins are made with the motor on, you are dropping like -a ball being dropped out of the sky and the velocity increases with the -power of the motor. - -This spinning nose dive has been frequently used in "stunt" flying in -recent years, but is now put to practical use by pilots in getting -away from hostile machines, for when a man is spinning, it is almost -impossible to hit him, and the man making the attack invariably thinks -his enemy is going down to certain death in the spin. - -This is all right when a man is over his own territory, because he can -right his machine and come out of it; but if it happens over German -territory, the Huns would only follow him down, and when he came out of -the spin they would be above him, having all the advantage, and would -shoot him down with ease. - -It is a good way of getting down into a cloud, and is used very often -by both sides, but it requires skill and courage by the pilot making it -if he ever expects to come out alive. - -A spin being made by a pilot intentionally looks exactly like a spin -that is made by a machine actually being shot down, so one never knows -whether it is forced or intentional until the pilot either rights his -machine and comes out of it or crashes to the ground. - -Another dive similar to this one is known as just the plain "dive." -Assume, for instance, that a pilot flying at a height of several -thousand feet is shot, loses control of his machine, and the nose of the -plane starts down with the motor full on. He is going at a tremendous -speed and in many instances is going so straight and swiftly that the -speed is too great for the machine, because it was never constructed -to withstand the enormous pressure forced against the wings, and they -consequently crumple up. - -If, too, in an effort to straighten the machine, the elevators should -become affected, as often happens in trying to bring a machine out of -a dive, the strain is again too great on the wings, and there is the -same disastrous result. Oftentimes, when the petrol-tank is punctured by -a tracer-bullet from another machine in the air, the plane that is hit -catches on fire and either gets into a spin or a straight dive and heads -for the earth, hundreds of miles an hour, a mass of flame, looking like -a brilliant comet in the sky. - -The spinning nose dive is used to greater advantage by the Germans than -by our own pilots, for the reason that when a fight gets too hot for the -German he will put his machine in a spin, and as the chances are nine -out of ten that we are fighting over German territory, he simply spins -down out of our range, straightens out before he reaches the ground, and -goes on home to his aerodrome. It is useless to follow him down inside -the German lines, for you would in all probability be shot down before -you could attain sufficient altitude to cross the line again. - -It often happens that a pilot will be chasing another machine when -suddenly he sees it start to spin. Perhaps they are fifteen or eighteen -thousand feet in the air, and the hostile machine spins down for -thousands of feet. He thinks he has hit the other machine and goes home -happy that he has brought down another Hun. He reports the occurrence to -the squadron, telling how he shot down his enemy; but when the rest of -the squadron come in with their report, or some artillery observation -balloon sends in a report, it develops that when a few hundred feet from -the ground the supposed dead man in the spin has come out of the spin -and gone merrily on his way for his own aerodrome. - - - - -III - -CAPTURED BY THE HUNS - - -I shall not easily forget the 17th of August, 1917. I killed two Huns in -a double-seated machine in the morning, another in the evening, and then -I was captured myself. I may have spent more eventful days in my life, -but I can't recall any just now. - -That morning, in crossing the line on early morning patrol, I noticed -two German balloons. I decided that as soon as my patrol was over I -would go off on my own hook and see what a German balloon looked like at -close quarters. - -These observation balloons are used by both sides in conjunction with -the artillery. A man sits up in the balloon with a wireless apparatus -and directs the firing of the guns. From his point of vantage he can -follow the work of his own artillery with a remarkable degree of -accuracy and at the same time he can observe the enemy's movements and -report them. - -The Germans are very good at this work and they use a great number of -these balloons. It was considered a very important part of our work to -keep them out of the sky. - -There are two ways of going after a balloon in a machine. One of them is -to cross the lines at a low altitude, flying so near the ground that the -man with the anti-aircraft gun can't bother you. You fly along until you -get to the level of the balloon, and if, in the mean time, they have not -drawn the balloon down, you open fire on it and the bullets you use will -set it on fire if they land. - -The other way is to fly over where you know the balloons to be, put your -machine in a spin so that they can't hit you, get above them, spin over -the balloon, and then open fire. In going back over the line you cross -at a few hundred feet. - -This is one of the hardest jobs in the service. There is less danger in -attacking an enemy's aircraft. - -Nevertheless, I had made up my mind either to get those balloons or -make them descend, and I only hoped that they would stay on the job -until I had a chance at them. - -When our two hours' duty was up, therefore, I dropped out of the -formation as we crossed the lines and turned back again. - -I was at a height of fifteen thousand feet, considerably higher than -the balloons. Shutting my motor off, I dropped down through the clouds, -thinking to find the balloons at about five or six miles behind the -German lines. - -Just as I came out of the cloud-banks I saw below me, about a thousand -feet, a two-seater hostile machine doing artillery observation and -directing the German guns. This was at a point about four miles behind -the German lines. - -Evidently the German artillery saw me and put out ground signals to -attract the Hun machine's attention, for I saw the observer quit his -work and grab his gun, while the pilot stuck the nose of his machine -straight down. - -But they were too late to escape me. I was diving toward them at a speed -of probably two hundred miles an hour, shooting all the time as fast as -possible. Their only chance lay in the possibility that the force of my -dive might break my wings. I knew my danger in that direction, but as -soon as I came out of my dive the Huns would have their chance to get -me, and I knew I had to get them first and take a chance on my wings -holding out. - -Fortunately, some of my first bullets found their mark and I was able to -come out of my dive at about four thousand feet. They never came out of -theirs! - -But right then came the hottest situation in the air I had experienced -up to that time. The depth of my dive had brought me within reach of the -machine-guns from the ground and they also put a "barrage" around me of -shrapnel from anti-aircraft guns, and I had an opportunity to "ride the -barrage," as they call it in the R. F. C. To make the situation more -interesting, they began shooting "flaming onions" at me. - -"Flaming onions" are rockets shot from a rocket-gun. They are used to -hit a machine when it is flying low and they are effective up to about -five thousand feet. Sometimes they are shot up one after another in -strings of about eight, and they are one of the hardest things to go -through. If they hit the machine it is bound to catch fire and then the -jig is up. - -All the time, too, I was being attacked by "Archie"--the anti-aircraft -fire. I escaped the machine-guns and the "flaming onions," but "Archie" -got me four or five times. Every time a bullet plugged me, or rather my -machine, it made a loud bang, on account of the tension on the material -covering the wings. - -None of their shots hurt me until I was about a mile from our lines, -and then they hit my motor. Fortunately I still had altitude enough -to drift on to our own side of the lines, for my motor was completely -out of commission. They just raised the dickens with me all the time I -was descending, and I began to think I would strike the ground before -crossing the line, but there was a slight wind in my favor and it -carried me two miles behind our lines. There the balloons I had gone out -to get had the satisfaction of "pin-pointing" me. Through the directions -which they were able to give to their artillery, they commenced shelling -my machine where it lay. - -Their particular work is to direct the fire of their artillery, and they -are used just as the artillery observation airplanes are. Usually two -men are stationed in each balloon. They ascend to a height of several -thousand feet about five miles behind their own lines and are equipped -with wireless and signaling apparatus. They watch the burst of their own -artillery, check up the position, get the range, and direct the next -shot. - -When conditions are favorable they are able to direct the shots so -accurately that it is a simple matter to destroy the object of their -attack. It was such a balloon as this that got my position, marked -me out, called for an artillery shot, and they commenced shelling my -machine where it lay. If I had got the two balloons instead of the -airplane, I probably would not have lost my machine, for he would in all -probability have gone on home and not bothered about getting my range -and causing the destruction of my machine. - -I landed in a part of the country that was literally covered with -shell-holes. Fortunately my machine was not badly damaged by the forced -landing. I leisurely got out, walked around it to see what the damage -was, and concluded that it could be easily repaired. In fact, I thought, -if I could find a space long enough between shell-holes to get a start -before leaving the ground, that I would be able to fly on from there. - -I was still examining my plane and considering the matter of a few -slight repairs, without any particular thought for my own safety in that -unprotected spot, when a shell came whizzing through the air, knocked me -to the ground, and landed a few feet away. It had no sooner struck than -I made a run for cover and crawled into a shell-hole. I would have liked -to have got farther away, but I didn't know where the next shell would -burst, and I thought I was fairly safe there, so I squatted down and let -them blaze away. - -The only damage I suffered was from the mud which splattered up in my -face and over my clothes. That was my introduction to a shell-hole, and -I resolved right there that the infantry could have all the shell-hole -fighting they wanted, but it did not appeal to me, though they live in -them through many a long night and I had only sought shelter there for -a few minutes. - -After the Germans had completely demolished my machine and ceased firing -I waited there a short time, fearing perhaps they might send over a -lucky shot, hoping to get me, after all. But evidently they concluded -enough shells had been wasted on one man. I crawled out cautiously, -shook the mud off, and looked over in the direction where my machine -had once been. There wasn't enough left for a decent souvenir, but -nevertheless I got a few, such as they were, and, readily observing that -nothing could be done with what was left, I made my way back to infantry -headquarters, where I was able to telephone in a report. - -A little later one of our automobiles came out after me and took me back -to our aerodrome. Most of my squadron thought I was lost beyond a doubt -and never expected to see me again; but my friend, Paul Raney, had held -out that I was all right, and, as I was afterward told, "Don't send for -another pilot; that Irishman will be back if he has to walk." And he -knew that the only thing that kept me from walking was the fact that -our own automobile had been sent out to bring me home. - -I had lots to think about that day, and I had learned many things; one -was not to have too much confidence in my own ability. One of the men in -the squadron told me that I had better not take those chances; that it -was going to be a long war and I would have plenty of opportunities to -be killed without deliberately "wishing them on" myself. Later I was to -learn the truth of his statement. - -That night my "flight"--each squadron is divided into three flights -consisting of six men each--got ready to go out again. As I started to -put on my tunic I noticed that I was not marked up for duty as usual. - -I asked the commanding officer, a major, what the reason for that was, -and he replied that he thought I had done enough for one day. However, -I knew that if I did not go, some one else from another "flight" would -have to take my place, and I insisted upon going up with my patrol as -usual, and the major reluctantly consented. Had he known what was in -store for me I am sure he wouldn't have changed his mind so readily. - -As it was, we had only five machines for this patrol, anyway, because -as we crossed the lines one of them had to drop out on account of motor -trouble. Our patrol was up at 8 P.M., and up to within ten minutes of -that hour it had been entirely uneventful. - -At 7.50 P.M., however, while we were flying at a height of sixteen -thousand feet, we observed three other English machines which were about -three thousand feet below us pick a fight with nine Hun machines. - -I knew right then that we were in for it, because I could see over -toward the ocean a whole flock of Hun machines which evidently had -escaped the attention of our scrappy comrades below us. - -So we dove down on those nine Huns. - -At first the fight was fairly even. There were eight of us to nine of -them. But soon the other machines which I had seen in the distance, and -which were flying even higher than we were, arrived on the scene, and -when they, in turn, dove down on us, there was just twenty of them to -our eight! - -[Illustration: THE AEROPLANE WHICH LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN USED IN HIS LAST -BATTLE WITH THE HUNS WHEN HE WAS BROUGHT DOWN AND MADE PRISONER] - -Four of them singled me out. I was diving and they dove right down -after me, shooting as they came. Their tracer-bullets were coming closer -to me every moment. These tracer-bullets are balls of fire which enable -the shooter to follow the course his bullets are taking and to correct -his aim accordingly. They do no more harm to a pilot if he is hit than -an ordinary bullet, but if they hit the petrol-tank, good night! When -a machine catches fire in flight there is no way of putting it out. It -takes less than a minute for the fabric to burn off the wings, and then -the machine drops like an arrow, leaving a trail of smoke like a comet. - -As their tracer-bullets came closer and closer to me I realized that my -chances of escape were nil. Their very next shot, I felt, must hit me. - -Once, some days before, when I was flying over the line I had watched a -fight above me. A German machine was set on fire and dove down through -our formation in flame on its way to the ground. The Hun was diving at -such a sharp angle that both his wings came off, and as he passed within -a few hundred feet of me I saw the look of horror upon his face. - -Now, when I expected any moment to suffer a similar fate, I could not -help thinking of that poor Hun's last look of agony. - -I realized that my only chance lay in making an Immermann turn. This -maneuver was invented by a German--one of the greatest who ever flew -and who was killed in action some time ago. This turn, which I made -successfully, brought one of their machines right in front of me, and as -he sailed along barely ten yards away I had "the drop" on him, and he -knew it. - -His white face and startled eyes I can still see. He knew beyond -question that his last moment had come, because his position prevented -his taking aim at me, while my gun pointed straight at him. My first -tracer-bullet passed within a yard of his head, the second looked as if -it hit his shoulder, the third struck him in the neck, and then I let -him have the whole works and he went down in a spinning nose dive. - -All this time the three other Hun machines were shooting away at me. I -could hear the bullets striking my machine one after another. I hadn't -the slightest idea that I could ever beat off those three Huns, but -there was nothing for me to do but fight, and my hands were full. - -In fighting, your machine is dropping, dropping all the time. I glanced -at my instruments and my altitude was between eight and nine thousand -feet. While I was still looking at the instruments the whole blamed -works disappeared. A burst of bullets went into the instrument board and -blew it to smithereens, another bullet went through my upper lip, came -out of the roof of my mouth and lodged in my throat, and the next thing -I knew was when I came to in a German hospital the following morning at -five o'clock, German time. - -I was a prisoner of war! - - - - -IV - -CLIPPED WINGS - - -The hospital in which I found myself on the morning after my capture -was a private house made of brick, very low and dirty, and not at all -adapted for use as a hospital. It had evidently been used but a few -days, on account of the big push that was taking place at that time of -the year, and in all probability would be abandoned as soon as they had -found a better place. - -In all, the house contained four rooms and a stable, which was by far -the largest of all. Although I never looked into this "wing" of the -hospital, I was told that it, too, was filled with patients, lying on -beds of straw around on the ground. I do not know whether they, too, -were officers or privates. - -The room in which I found myself contained eight beds, three of which -were occupied by wounded German officers. The other rooms, I imagined, -had about the same number of beds as mine. There were no Red Cross -nurses in attendance, just orderlies, for this was only an emergency -hospital and too near the firing-line for nurses. The orderlies were not -old men nor very young boys, as I expected to find, but young men in the -prime of life, who evidently had been medical students. One or two of -them, I discovered, were able to speak English, but for some reason they -would not talk. Perhaps they were forbidden by the officer in charge to -do so. - -In addition to the bullet wound in my mouth, I had a swelling from my -forehead to the back of my head almost as big as my shoe--and that is -saying considerable. I couldn't move an inch without suffering intense -pain, and when the doctor told me that I had no bones broken I wondered -how a fellow would feel who had. - -German officers visited me that morning and told me that my machine -went down in a spinning nose dive from a height of between eight and -nine thousand feet, and they had the surprise of their lives when they -discovered that I had not been dashed to pieces. They had to cut me out -of my machine, which was riddled with shots and shattered to bits. - -A German doctor removed the bullet from my throat, and the first thing -he said to me when I came to was, "You are an American!" - -There was no use denying it, because the metal identification disk on my -wrist bore the inscription, "Pat O'Brien, U. S. A. Royal Flying Corps." - -Although I was suffering intense agony, the doctor, who spoke perfect -English, insisted upon conversing with me. - -"You may be all right as a sportsman," he declared, "but you are a -damned murderer just the same for being here. You Americans who got into -this thing before America came into the war are no better than common -murderers and you ought to be treated the same way!" - -The wound in my mouth made it impossible for me to answer him, and I was -suffering too much pain to be hurt very much by anything he could say. - -[Illustration: THE IDENTIFICATION DISK WORN BY LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN -WHEN HE WAS CAPTURED BY THE HUNS. IT REVEALED TO THEM THAT HE WAS -AN AMERICAN] - -He asked me if I would like an apple! I could just as easily have eaten -a brick. - -When he got no answers out of me he walked away disgustedly. - -"You don't have to worry any more," he declared, as a parting shot; "for -you the war is over!" - -I was given a little broth later in the day, and as I began to collect -my thoughts I wondered what had happened to my comrades in the battle -which had resulted so disastrously to me. As I began to realize my -plight I worried less about my physical condition than the fact that, -as the doctor had pointed out, for me the war was practically over. I -had been in it but a short time, and now I would be a prisoner for the -duration of the war! - -The next day some German flying officers visited me, and I must say -they treated me with great consideration. They told me of the man I had -brought down. They said he was a Bavarian and a fairly good pilot. They -gave me his hat as a souvenir and complimented me on the fight I had put -up. - -My helmet, which was of soft leather, was split from front to back by -a bullet from a machine-gun and they examined it with great interest. -When they brought me my uniform I found that the star of my rank which -had been on my right shoulder-strap had been shot off clean. The one on -my left shoulder-strap they asked me for as a souvenir, as also my R. -F. C. badges, which I gave them. They allowed me to keep my "wings," -which I wore on my left breast, because they were aware that that is the -proudest possession of a British flying officer. - -I think I am right in saying that the only chivalry in this war on the -German side of the trenches has been displayed by the officers of the -German Flying Corps, which comprises the pick of Germany. They pointed -out to me that I and my comrades were fighting purely for the love of -it, whereas they were fighting in defense of their country, but still, -they said, they admired us for our sportsmanship. I had a notion to ask -them if dropping bombs on London and killing so many innocent people was -in defense of their country, but I was in no position or condition to -pick a quarrel at that time. - -That same day a German officer was brought into the hospital and put in -the bunk next to mine. Of course, I casually looked at him, but did not -pay any particular attention to him at that time. He lay there for three -or four hours before I did take a real good look at him. I was positive -that he could not speak English, and naturally I did not say anything to -him. - -Once when I looked over in his direction his eyes were on me and to my -surprise he said, very sarcastically, "What the hell are you looking -at?" and then smiled. At this time I was just beginning to say a few -words, my wound having made talking difficult, but I said enough to -let him know what I was doing there and how I happened to be there. -Evidently he had heard my story from some of the others, though, because -he said it was too bad I had not broken my neck; that he did not have -much sympathy with the Flying Corps, anyway. He asked me what part of -America I came from, and I told him "California." - -After a few more questions he learned that I hailed from San Francisco, -and then added to my distress by saying, "How would you like to have a -good juicy steak right out of the Hofbräu?" Naturally, I told him it -would "hit the spot," but I hardly thought my mouth was in shape just -then to eat it. I immediately asked, of course, what he knew about the -Hofbräu, and he replied, "I was connected with the place a good many -years, and I ought to know all about it." - -After that this German officer and I became rather chummy--that is, as -far as I could be chummy with an enemy, and we whiled away a good many -long hours talking about the days we had spent in San Francisco, and -frequently in the conversation one of us would mention some prominent -Californian, or some little incident occurring there, with which we were -both familiar. - -He told me when war was declared he was, of course, intensely patriotic -and thought the only thing for him to do was to go back and aid in the -defense of his country. He found that he could not go directly from San -Francisco because the water was too well guarded by the English, so he -boarded a boat for South America. There he obtained a forged passport -and in the guise of a Montevidean took passage for New York and from -there to England. - -He passed through England without any difficulty on his forged passport, -but concluded not to risk going to Holland, for fear of exciting too -much suspicion, so went down through the Strait of Gibraltar to Italy, -which was neutral at that time, up to Austria, and thence to Germany. -He said when they put in at Gibraltar, after leaving England, there -were two suspects taken off the ship, men that he was sure were neutral -subjects, but much to his relief his own passport and credentials were -examined and passed O. K. - -The Hun spoke of his voyage from America to England as being -exceptionally pleasant, and said he had had a fine time because he -associated with the English passengers on board, his fluent English -readily admitting him to several spirited arguments on the subject of -the war which he keenly enjoyed. - -One little incident he related revealed the remarkable tact which our -enemy displayed in his associations at sea, which no doubt resulted -advantageously for him. As he expressed it, he "made a hit" one evening -when the crowd had assembled for a little music by suggesting that they -sing "God Save the King." Thereafter his popularity was assured and the -desired effect accomplished, for very soon a French officer came up to -him and said, "It's too bad that England and ourselves haven't men in -our army like you." It was too bad, he agreed, in telling me about it, -because he was confident he could have done a whole lot more for Germany -if he had been in the English army. - -In spite of his apparent loyalty, however, the man didn't seem very -enthusiastic over the war and frankly admitted one day that the old -political battles waged in California were much more to his liking than -the battles he had gone through over here. On second thought he laughed -as though it were a good joke, but he evidently intended me to infer -that he had taken a keen interest in politics in San Francisco. - -When my "chummy enemy" first started his conversation with me the German -doctor in charge reprimanded him for talking to me, but he paid no -attention to the doctor, showing that some real Americanism had soaked -into his system while he had been in the U. S. A. - -I asked him one day what he thought the German people would do after -the war; if he thought they would make Germany a republic, and, much to -my surprise, he said, very bitterly, "If I had my way about it, I would -make her a republic to-day and hang the damned Kaiser in the bargain." -And yet he was considered an excellent soldier. I concluded, however, -that he must have been a German Socialist, though he never told me so. - -On one occasion I asked him for his name, but he said that I would -probably never see him again and it didn't matter what his name was. I -did not know whether he meant that the Germans would starve me out or -just what was on his mind, for at that time I am sure he did not figure -on dying. The first two or three days I was in the hospital I thought -surely he would be up and gone long before I was, but blood poisoning -set in about that time and just a few hours before I left for Courtrai -he died. - -One of those days, while my wound was still very troublesome, I was -given an apple; whether it was just to torment me, knowing that I could -not eat it, or whether for some other reason, I do not know. But, -anyway, a German flying officer there had several in his pockets and -gave me a nice one. Of course, there was no chance of my eating it, so -when the officer had gone and I discovered this San Francisco fellow -looking at it rather longingly I picked it up, intending to toss it over -to him. But he shook his head and said, "If this was San Francisco, I -would take it, but I cannot take it from you here." I was never able to -understand just why he refused the apple, for he was usually sociable -and a good fellow to talk to, but apparently he could not forget that -I was his enemy. However, that did not stop one of the orderlies from -eating the apple. - -One practice about the hospital which impressed me particularly was that -if a German soldier did not stand much chance of recovering sufficiently -to take his place again in the war, the doctors did not exert themselves -to see that he got well. But if a man had a fairly good chance of -recovering and they thought he might be of some further use, everything -that medical skill could possibly do was done for him. I don't know -whether this was done under orders or whether the doctors just followed -their own inclinations in such cases. - -My teeth had been badly jarred up from the shot, and I hoped that I -might have a chance to have them fixed when I reached Courtrai, the -prison where I was to be taken. So I asked the doctor if it would be -possible for me to have this work done there, but he very curtly told -me that though there were several dentists at Courtrai, they were -busy enough fixing the teeth of their own men without bothering about -mine. He also added that I would not have to worry about my teeth; -that I wouldn't be getting so much food that they would be put out of -commission by working overtime. I wanted to tell him that from the way -things looked he would not be wearing his out very soon, either. - -My condition improved during the next two days and on the fourth day of -my captivity I was well enough to write a brief message to my squadron -reporting that I was a prisoner of war and "feeling fine," although, -as a matter of fact, I was never so depressed in my life. I realized, -however, that if the message reached my comrades, it would be relayed -to my mother in Momence, Illinois, and I did not want to worry her more -than was absolutely necessary. It was enough for her to know that I was -a prisoner. She did not have to know that I was wounded. - -I had hopes that my message would be carried over the lines and dropped -by one of the German flying officers. That is a courtesy which is -usually practised on both sides. I recalled how patiently we had waited -in our aerodrome for news of our men who had failed to return, and I -could picture my squadron speculating on my fate. - -That is one of the saddest things connected with service in the R. F. -C. You don't care much what happens to you, but the constant casualties -among your friends is very depressing. - -You go out with your "flight" and get into a muss. You get scattered and -when your formation is broken up you finally wing your way home alone. - -Perhaps you are the first to land. Soon another machine shows in the -sky, then another, and you patiently wait for the rest to appear. -Within an hour, perhaps, all have shown up save one, and you begin to -speculate and wonder what has happened to him. - -Has he lost his way? Has he landed at some other aerodrome? Did the Huns -get him? - -When darkness comes you realize that, at any rate, he won't be back -that night, and you hope for a telephone-call from him telling of his -whereabouts. - -If the night passes without sign or word from him he is reported as -missing, and then you watch for his casualty to appear in the war-office -lists. - -One day, perhaps a month later, a message is dropped over the line by -the German Flying Corps with a list of pilots captured or killed by the -Huns, and then, for the first time, you know definitely why it was your -comrade failed to return the day he last went over the line with his -squadron. - -I was still musing over this melancholy phase of the scout's life when -an orderly told me there was a beautiful battle going on in the air, and -he volunteered to help me outside the hospital that I might witness it, -and I readily accepted his assistance. - -That afternoon I saw one of the gamest fights I ever expect to witness. - -There were six of our machines against perhaps sixteen Huns. From the -type of the British machines I knew that they might possibly be from my -own aerodrome. Two of our machines had been apparently picked out by six -of the Huns and were bearing the brunt of the fight. The contest seemed -to me to be so unequal that victory for our men was hardly to be thought -of, and yet at one time they so completely outmaneuvered the Huns that -I thought their superior skill might save the day for them, despite the -fact that they were so hopelessly outnumbered. One thing I was sure of: -they would never give in. - -Of course it would have been a comparatively simple matter for our men, -when they saw how things were going against them, to have turned their -noses down, landed behind the German lines, and given themselves up as -prisoners, but that is not the way of the R. F. C. - -A battle of this kind seldom lasts many minutes, although every second -seems like an hour to those who participate in it and even onlookers -suffer more thrills in the course of the struggle than they would -ordinarily experience in a lifetime. It is apparent even to a novice -that the loser's fate is death. - -Of course the Germans around the hospital were all watching and rooting -for their comrades, but the English, too, had one sympathizer in that -group who made no effort to stifle his admiration for the bravery his -comrades were displaying. - -The end came suddenly. Four machines crashed to earth almost -simultaneously. It was an even break--two of theirs and two of ours. The -others apparently returned to their respective lines. - -The wound in my mouth was bothering me considerably, but by means of a -pencil and paper I requested one of the German officers to find out for -me who the English officers were who had been shot down. - -A little later he returned and handed me a photograph taken from the -body of one of the victims. It was a picture of Paul Raney, of Toronto, -and myself, taken together! Poor Raney! He was the best friend I had and -one of the best and gamest men who ever fought in France! - -It was he, I learned long after, who, when I was reported missing, had -checked over all my belongings and sent them back to England with a -signed memorandum--which is now in my possession. Poor fellow, he little -realized then that but a day or two later he would be engaged in his -last heroic battle, with me a helpless onlooker! - -The same German officer who brought me the photograph also drew a map -for me of the exact spot where Raney was buried in Flanders. I guarded -it carefully all through my subsequent adventures and finally turned it -over to his father and mother when I visited them in Toronto to perform -the hardest and saddest duty I have ever been called upon to execute--to -confirm to them in person the tidings of poor Paul's death. - -The other British pilot who fell was also from my squadron and a man I -knew well--Lieutenant Keith, of Australia. I had given him a picture of -myself only a few hours before I started on my own disastrous flight. -He was one of the star pilots of our squadron and had been in many a -desperate battle before, but this time the odds were too great for -him. He put up a wonderful fight and he gave as much as he took. - -[Illustration: LIEUT. PAUL H. RANEY OF TORONTO AND LIEUT. PAT O'BRIEN - -(Raney was killed in action before the eyes of O'Brien, who was a -prisoner of war. This picture, found on the body of Raney when he fell -behind the German lines, was handed to O'Brien to identify the victim.)] - -The next two days passed without incident and I was then taken to the -Intelligence Department of the German Flying Corps, which was located -about an hour from the hospital. There I was kept two days, during which -time they put a thousand and one questions to me. While I was there I -turned over to them the message I had written in the hospital and asked -them to have one of their fliers drop it on our side of the line. - -They asked me where I would like it dropped, thinking perhaps I would -give my aerodrome away, but when I smiled and shook my head they did not -insist upon an answer. - -"I'll drop it over ----," declared one of them, naming my aerodrome, -which revealed to me that their flying corps is as efficient as other -branches of the service in the matter of obtaining valuable information. - -And right here I want to say that the more I came to know of the enemy -the more keenly I realized what a difficult task we're going to have -to lick him. In all my subsequent experience the fact that there is a -heap of fight left in the Huns still was thoroughly brought home to me. -We shall win the war eventually, if we don't slow up too soon in the -mistaken idea that the Huns are ready to lie down. - -The flying officers who questioned me were extremely anxious to find out -all they could about the part America is going to play in the war, but -they evidently came to the conclusion that America hadn't taken me very -deeply into her confidence, judging from the information they got, or -failed to get, from me. - -At any rate, they gave me up as a bad job and I was ordered to the -officers' prison at Courtrai, Belgium. - - - - -V - -THE PRISON-CAMP AT COURTRAI - - -From the Intelligence Department I was conveyed to the officers' -prison-camp at Courtrai in an automobile. It was about an hour's ride. -My escort was one of the most famous flyers in the world, barring none. -He was later killed in action, but I was told by an English airman who -witnessed his last combat that he fought a game battle and died a hero's -death. - -The prison, which had evidently been a civil prison of some kind before -the war, was located right in the heart of Courtrai. The first building -we approached was large, and in front of the archway, which formed the -main entrance, was a sentry box. Here we were challenged by the sentry, -who knocked on the door; the guard turned the key in the lock and I was -admitted. We passed through the archway and directly into a courtyard, -on which faced all of the prison buildings, the windows, of course, -being heavily barred. - -After I had given my pedigree--my name, age, address, etc.--I was shown -to a cell with bars on the windows overlooking this courtyard. I was -promptly told that at night we were to occupy these rooms, but I had -already surveyed the surroundings, taken account of the number of guards -and the locked door outside, and concluded that my chances of getting -away from some other place could be no worse than in that particular -cell. - -As I had no hat, my helmet being the only thing I wore over the lines, -I was compelled either to go bareheaded or wear the red cap of the -Bavarian whom I had shot down on that memorable day. It can be imagined -how I looked attired in a British uniform and a bright red cap. Wherever -I was taken, my outfit aroused considerable curiosity among the Belgians -and German soldiers. - -When I arrived at prison that day I still wore this cap, and as I was -taken into the courtyard, my overcoat covering my uniform, all that the -British officers who happened to be sunning themselves in the courtyard -could see was the red cap. They afterward told me they wondered who the -"big Hun" was with the bandage on his mouth. This cap I managed to keep -with me, but was never allowed to wear it on the walks we took. I either -went bareheaded or borrowed a cap from some other prisoner. - -At certain hours each day the prisoners were allowed to mingle in the -courtyard, and on the first occasion of this kind I found that there -were eleven officers imprisoned there besides myself. - -They had here interpreters who could speak all languages. One of them -was a mere boy who had been born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and had -spent all his life in America until the beginning of 1914. Then he moved -with his folks to Germany, and when he became of military age the Huns -forced him into the army. I think if the truth were known he would much -rather have been fighting for America than against her. - -I found that most of the prisoners remained at Courtrai only two or -three days. From there they were invariably taken to prisons in the -interior of Germany. - -Whether it was because I was an American or because I was a flier, I -don't know, but this rule was not followed in my case. I remained there -two weeks. - -During that period, Courtrai was constantly bombed by our airmen. -Not a single day or night passed without one or more air raids. In -the two weeks I was there I counted twenty-one of them. The town -suffered a great deal of damage. Evidently our people were aware -that the Germans had a lot of troops concentrated in this town, and, -besides, the headquarters staff was stationed there. The Kaiser himself -visited Courtrai while I was in the prison, I was told by one of the -interpreters, but he didn't call on me and, for obvious reasons, I -couldn't call on him. - -The courtyard was not a very popular place during air raids. Several -times when our airmen raided that section in the daytime I went out -and watched the machines and the shrapnel bursting all around; but the -Germans did not crowd out there, for their own anti-aircraft guns were -hammering away to keep our planes as high in the sky as possible, and -shells were likely to fall in the prison yard any moment. Of course, I -watched these battles at my own risk. - -Many nights from my prison window I watched with peculiar interest the -air raids carried on, and it was a wonderful sight with the German -searchlights playing on the sky, the "flaming onions" fired high and the -burst of the anti-aircraft guns, but rather an uncomfortable sensation -when I realized that perhaps the very next minute a bomb might be -dropped on the building in which I was a prisoner. But perhaps all of -this was better than no excitement at all, for prison life soon became -very monotonous. - -One of the hardest things I had to endure throughout the two weeks I -spent there was the sight of the Hun machines flying over Courtrai, -knowing that perhaps I never would have another chance to fly, and I -used to sit by the hour watching the German machines maneuvering over -the prison, as they had an aerodrome not far away, and every afternoon -the students--I took them for students because their flying was very -poor--appeared over the town. - -One certain Hun seemed to find particular satisfaction in flying right -down over the prison nightly, for my special discomfort and benefit it -seemed, as if he knew an airman imprisoned there was vainly longing to -try his wings again over their lines. But I used to console myself by -saying, "Never mind, old boy; there was never a bird whose wings could -not be clipped if they got him just right, and your turn will come some -day." - -One night there was an exceptionally heavy air raid going on. A number -of German officers came into my room, and they all seemed very much -frightened. I jokingly remarked that it would be fine if our airmen hit -the old prison--the percentage would be very satisfactory--one English -officer and about ten German ones. They didn't seem to appreciate the -joke, however, and, indeed, they were apparently too much alarmed at -what was going on overhead to laugh even at their own jokes. Although -these night raids seemed to take all the starch out of the Germans while -they were going on, the officers were usually as brave as lions the -next day and spoke contemptuously of the raid of the night before. - -I saw thousands of soldiers in Courtrai, and although they did not -impress me as having very good or abundant food, they were fairly well -clothed. I do not mean to imply that conditions pointed to an early end -of the war. On the contrary, from what I was able to observe on that -point, unless the Huns have an absolute crop failure, they can, in my -opinion, go on for years! The idea of our being able to win the war by -starving them out strikes me as ridiculous. This is a war that must be -won by _fighting_, and the sooner we realize that fact the sooner it -will be over. - -Rising-hour in the prison was seven o'clock. Breakfast came at eight. -This consisted of a cup of coffee and nothing else. If the prisoner had -the foresight to save some bread from the previous day, he had bread for -breakfast also, but that never happened in my case. Sometimes we had -two cups of coffee--that is, near-coffee. It was really chicory or some -cereal preparation. We had no milk or sugar. - -For lunch they gave us boiled sugar-beets or some other vegetable, -and once in a while some kind of pickled meat, but that happened very -seldom. We also received a third of a loaf of bread--war-bread. This -war-bread was as heavy as a brick, black, and sour. It was supposed to -last us from noon one day to noon the next. Except for some soup, this -was the whole lunch menu. - -Dinner came at 5.30 P.M., when we sometimes had a little jam made out -of sugar-beets, and a preparation called tea which you had to shake -vigorously or it settled in the bottom of the cup and then about all -you had was hot water. This "tea" was a sad blow to the Englishmen. If -it hadn't been called tea, they wouldn't have felt so badly about it, -perhaps, but it was adding insult to injury to call that stuff "tea" -which, with them, is almost a national institution. - -Sometimes with this meal they gave us butter instead of jam, and once in -a while we had some kind of canned meat. - -This comprised the usual run of eatables for the day--I can eat more -than that for breakfast! In the days that were to come, however, I was -to fare considerably worse. - -[Illustration: MAILING-CARD SENT BY GERMAN GOVERNMENT TO PAT O'BRIEN'S -SISTER, MRS. CLARA CLEGG OF MOMENCE, ILLINOIS] - -[Illustration: OBVERSE SIDE OF CARD SHOWN ABOVE] - -We were allowed to send out and buy a few things, but as most of the -prisoners were without funds, this was but an empty privilege. Once I -took advantage of the privilege to send my shoes to a Belgian shoemaker -to be half-soled. They charged me twenty marks--five dollars! - -Once in a while a Belgian Ladies' Relief Society visited the prison -and brought us handkerchiefs, American soap--which sells at about one -dollar and fifty cents a bar in Belgium--tooth-brushes, and other -little articles, all of which were American-made, but whether they were -supplied by the American Relief Committee or not I don't know. At any -rate, these gifts were mighty useful and were very much appreciated. - -One day I offered a button off my uniform to one of these Belgian ladies -as a souvenir, but a German guard saw me and I was never allowed to go -near the visitors afterward. - -The sanitary conditions in this prison-camp were excellent as a general -proposition. One night, however, I discovered that I had been captured -by "cooties." - -This was a novel experience to me and one that I would have been very -willing to have missed, because in the Flying Corps our aerodromes are -a number of miles back of the lines and we have good billets, and our -acquaintance with such things as "cooties" and other unwelcome visitors -is very limited. - -When I discovered my condition I made a holler and roused the guard, and -right then I got another example of German efficiency. - -This guard seemed to be even more perturbed about my complaint than I -was myself, evidently fearing that he would be blamed for my condition. - -The commandant was summoned, and I could see that he was very angry. -Some one undoubtedly got a severe reprimand for it. - -I was taken out of my cell by a guard with a rifle and conducted about a -quarter of a mile from the prison to an old factory building which had -been converted into an elaborate fumigating plant. There I was given a -pickle bath in some kind of solution, and while I was absorbing it my -clothes, bedclothes, and whatever else had been in my cell were being -put through another fumigating process. - -While I was waiting for my things to dry--it took, perhaps, half an -hour--I had a chance to observe about one hundred other victims of -"cooties"--German soldiers who had become infested in the trenches. We -were all nude, of course, but apparently it was not difficult for them -to recognize me as a foreigner even without my uniform on, for none of -them made any attempt to talk to me, although they all were very busy -talking _about_ me. I could not understand what they were saying, but I -know I was the butt of most of their jokes, and they made no effort to -conceal the fact that I was the subject of their conversation. - -When I got back to my cell I found that it had been thoroughly -fumigated, and from that time on I had no further trouble with "cooties" -or other visitors of the same kind. - -As we were not allowed to write anything but prison cards, writing -was out of the question; and as we had no reading-matter to speak -of, reading was nil. We had nothing to do to pass away the time, so -consequently cards became our only diversion, for we did, fortunately, -have some of those. - -There wasn't very much money, as a rule, in circulation, and I think for -once in my life I held most of that, not due to any particular ability -on my part in the game, but I happened to have several hundred francs in -my pockets when shot down. But we held a lottery there once a day, and I -don't believe there was ever another lottery held that was watched with -quite such intense interest as that. The drawing was always held the day -before the prize was to be awarded, so we always knew the day before who -was the lucky man. There was as much speculation as to who would win -the prize as if it had been the finest treasure in the world. The great -prize was one-third of a loaf of bread. - -Through some arrangement which I never quite figured out, it happened -that among the eight or ten officers who were there with me there was -always one-third of a loaf of bread over. There was just one way of -getting that bread, and that was to draw lots. Consequently that was -what started the lottery. I believe if a man had ever been inclined to -cheat he would have been sorely tempted in this instance, but the game -was played absolutely square, and if a man had been caught cheating, the -chances are that he would have been shunned by the rest of the officers -as long as he was in prison. I was fortunate enough to win the prize -twice. - -One man--I think he was the smallest eater in the camp--won it on three -successive days, but it was well for him that his luck deserted him on -the fourth day, for he probably would have been handled rather roughly -by the rest of the crowd, who were growing suspicious. But we handled -the drawing ourselves and knew there was nothing crooked about it, so he -was spared. - -We were allowed to buy pears, and, being small and very hard, they were -used as the stakes in many a game. But the interest in these little -games was as keen as if the stakes had been piles of money instead of -two or three half-starved pears. No man was ever so reckless, however, -in all the betting, as to wager his own rations. - -By the most scheming and sacrificing I ever did in my life I managed to -hoard two pieces of bread (grudgingly spared at the time from my daily -rations), but I was preparing for the day when I should escape--if I -ever should. It was not a sacrifice easily made, either, but instead of -eating bread I ate pears until I finally got one piece of bread ahead; -and when I could force myself to stick to the pear diet again I saved -the other piece from that day's allowance, and in days to come I had -cause to credit myself fully for the foresight. - -Whenever a new prisoner came in and his German hosts had satisfied -themselves as to his life history and taken down all the details--that -is, all he would give them--he was immediately surrounded by his -fellow-prisoners, who were eager for any bit of news or information he -could possibly give them, and as a rule he was glad to tell us because, -if he had been in the hands of the Huns for any length of time, he had -seen very few English officers. - -The conditions of this prison were bad enough when a man was in normally -good health, but it was barbarous to subject a wounded soldier to the -hardships and discomforts of the place. However, this was the fate of -a poor private we discovered there one day in terrific pain, suffering -from shrapnel in his stomach and back. All of us officers asked to have -him sent to a hospital, but the doctors curtly refused, saying it was -against orders. So the poor creature went on suffering from day to day -and was still there when I left, another victim of German cruelty. - -At one time in this prison-camp there were a French marine, a French -flying officer, and two Belgian soldiers, and of the United Kingdom -one from Canada, two from England, three from Ireland, a couple from -Scotland, one from Wales, a man from South Africa, one from Algeria, -and a New-Zealander, the last being from my own squadron, a man whom -I thought had been killed, and he was equally surprised, when brought -into the prison, to find me there. In addition there were a Chinaman and -myself from the U. S. A. - -It was quite a cosmopolitan group, and as one typical Irishman said, -"Sure, and we have every nation that's worth mentioning, including the -darn Germans, with us whites." Of course, this was not translated to -the Germans, nor was it even spoken in their hearing, or we probably -would not have had quite so cosmopolitan a bunch. Each man in the prison -was ready to uphold his native country in any argument that could -possibly be started, and it goes without saying that I never took a back -seat in any of them with my praise for America, with the Canadian and -Chinaman chiming in on my side. But they were friendly arguments; we -were all in the same boat and that was no place for quarreling. - -Every other morning, the weather allowing, we were taken to a large -swimming-pool and were allowed to have a bath. There were two pools, one -for the German officers and one for the men. Although we were officers, -we had to use the pool occupied by the men. While we were in swimming a -German guard with a rifle across his knees sat at each comer of the pool -and watched us closely as we dressed and undressed. English interpreters -accompanied us on all of these trips, so at no time could we talk -without their knowing what was going on. - -Whenever we were taken out of the prison for any purpose they always -paraded us through the most crowded streets--evidently to give the -populace an idea that they were getting lots of prisoners. The German -soldiers we passed on these occasions made no effort to hide their -smiles and sneers. - -The Belgian people were apparently very curious to see us, and they used -to turn out in large numbers whenever the word was passed that we were -out. At times the German guards would strike the women and children -who crowded too close to us. One day I smiled and spoke to a pretty -Belgian girl, and when she replied a German made a run for her. Luckily -she stepped into the house before he reached her or I am afraid my -salutation would have resulted seriously for her and I would have been -powerless to have assisted her. - -Whenever we passed a Belgian home or other building which had been -wrecked by bombs dropped by our airmen our guards made us stop a moment -or two while they passed sneering remarks among themselves. - -One of the most interesting souvenirs I have of my imprisonment at -Courtrai is a photograph of a group of us taken in the prison courtyard. -The picture was made by one of the guards, who sold copies of it to -those of us who were able to pay his price--one mark apiece. - -As we faced the camera, I suppose we all tried to look our happiest, -but the majority of us, I am afraid, were too sick at heart to raise -a smile even for this occasion. One of our Hun guards is shown in the -picture seated at the table. I am standing directly behind him, attired -in my flying tunic, which they allowed me to wear all the time I was -in prison, as is the usual custom with prisoners of war. Three of the -British officers shown in the picture, in the foreground, are clad in -"shorts." - -Through all my subsequent adventures I was able to retain a print of -this interesting picture, and although when I gaze at it now it only -serves to increase my gratification at my ultimate escape, it fills me -with regret to think that my fellow-prisoners were not so fortunate. All -of them, by this time, are undoubtedly eating their hearts up in the -prison-camps of interior Germany. Poor fellows! - -[Illustration: A GROUP OF PRISONERS OF WAR IN THE PRISON-CAMP AT -COURTRAI, BELGIUM - -(Lieutenant O'Brien, in his R. F. C. flying-tunic, is standing in the -center behind the German guard seated at the table. This picture was -taken by one of the German guards and sold to Lieutenant O'Brien for one -mark.)] - -Despite the scanty fare and the restrictions we were under in this -prison, we did manage on one occasion to arrange a regular banquet. The -planning which was necessary helped to pass the time. - -At this time there were eight of us. We decided that the principal thing -we needed to make the affair a success was potatoes, and I conceived a -plan to get them. Every other afternoon they took us for a walk in the -country, and it occurred to me that it would be a comparatively simple -matter for us to pretend to be tired and sit down when we came to the -first potato-patch. - -It worked out nicely. When we came to the first potato-patch that -afternoon we told our guards that we wanted to rest a bit and we were -allowed to sit down. In the course of the next five minutes each of us -managed to get a potato or two. Being Irish, I got six. - -When we got back to the prison I managed to steal a handkerchief full -of sugar which, with some apples that we were allowed to purchase, we -easily converted into a sort of jam. - -We now had potatoes and jam, but no bread. It happened that the Hun -who had charge of the potatoes was a great musician. It was not very -difficult to prevail upon him to play us some music, and while he went -out to get his zither I went into the bread pantry and stole a loaf of -bread. - -Most of us had saved some butter from the day before and we used it to -fry our potatoes. By bribing one of the guards he bought some eggs for -us. They cost twenty-five cents apiece, but we were determined to make -this banquet a success, no matter what it cost. - -The cooking was done by the prison cook, whom, of course, we had to -bribe. - -When the meal was ready to serve it consisted of scrambled eggs, fried -potatoes, bread and jam, and a pitcher of beer which we were allowed to -buy. - -That was the 29th of August. Had I known that it was to be the last real -meal that I was to eat for many weeks I might have enjoyed it even more -than I did, but it was certainly very good. - -We had cooked enough for eight, but while we were still eating another -joined us. He was an English officer who had just been brought in on -a stretcher. For seven days, he told us, he had lain in a shell-hole, -wounded, and he was almost famished, and we were mighty glad to share -our banquet with him. - -We called on each man for a speech, and one might have thought that we -were at a first-class club meeting. A few days after that our party was -broken up and some of the men I suppose I shall never see again. - -One of the souvenirs of my adventure is a check given me during this -"banquet" by Lieut. James Henry Dickson, of the Tenth Royal Irish -Fusileers, a fellow-prisoner. It was for twenty francs and was made -payable to the order of "Mr. Pat O'Brien, 2nd Lieut." Poor Jim forgot to -scratch out the "London" and substitute "Courtrai" on the date line, but -its value as a souvenir is just as great. When he gave it to me he had -no idea that I would have an opportunity so soon afterward to cash it in -person, although I am quite sure that whatever financial reverses I may -be destined to meet my want will never be great enough to induce me to -realize on that check. - -There was one subject that was talked about in this prison whenever -conversation lagged, and I suppose it is the same in the other prisons, -too. What were the chances of escape? - -Every man seemed to have a different idea and one way I suppose was -about as impracticable as another. None of us ever expected to get -a chance to put our ideas into execution, but it was interesting -speculation, and, anyway, one could never tell what opportunities might -present themselves. - -One suggestion was that we disguise ourselves as women. "O'Brien would -stand a better chance disguised as a horse!" declared another, referring -to the fact that my height (I am six feet two inches) would make me more -conspicuous as a woman than as a man. - -Another suggested that we steal a German Gotha--a type of aeroplane -used for long-distance bombing. It is these machines which are used for -bombing London. They are manned by three men, one sitting in front with -a machine-gun, the pilot sitting behind him, and an observer sitting -in the rear with another machine-gun. We figured that at a pinch -perhaps seven or eight of us could make our escape in a single machine. -They have two motors of very high horse-power, fly very high and make -wonderful speed. But we had no chance to put this idea to the test. - -I worked out another plan by which I thought I might have a chance if I -could ever get into one of the German aerodromes. I would conceal myself -in one of the hangars, wait until one of the German machines started -out, and as he taxied along the ground I would rush out, shout at the -top of my voice, and point excitedly at his wheels. This, I figured, -would cause the pilot to stop and get out to see what was wrong. By that -time I would be up to him and as he stooped over to inspect the machine -I could knock him senseless, jump into the machine, and be over the -lines before the Huns could make up their minds just what had happened. - -It was a fine dream, but my chance was not to come that way. - -There were dozens of other ways which we considered. One man would -be for endeavoring to make his way right through the lines. Another -thought the safest plan would be to swim some river that crossed the -lines. - -The idea of making one's way to Holland, a neutral country, occurred -to every one, but the one great obstacle in that direction, we all -realized, was the great barrier of barbed and electrically charged wire -which guards every foot of the frontier between Belgium and Holland and -which is closely watched by the German sentries. - -This barrier was a threefold affair. It consisted first of a barbed-wire -wall six feet high. Six feet beyond that was a nine-foot wall of wire -powerfully charged with electricity. To touch it meant electrocution. -Beyond that, at a distance of six feet was another wall of barbed wire -six feet high. - -Beyond the barrier lay Holland and liberty, but how to get there was a -problem which none of us could solve and few of us ever expected to have -a chance to try. - -Mine came sooner than I expected. - - - - -VI - -A LEAP FOR LIBERTY - - -I had been in prison at Courtrai nearly three weeks when, on the morning -of September 9th, I and six other officers were told that we were to be -transferred to a prison-camp in Germany. - -One of the guards told me during the day that we were destined for a -reprisal camp in Strassburg. They were sending us there to keep our -airmen from bombing the place. - -He explained that the English carried German officers on hospital-ships -for a similar purpose, and he excused the German practice of torpedoing -these vessels on the score that they also carried munitions! When I -pointed out to him that France would hardly be sending munitions to -England, he lost interest in the argument. - -Some days before I had made up my mind that it would be a very good -thing to get hold of a map of Germany which I knew was in the possession -of one of the German interpreters, because I realized that if ever the -opportunity came to make my escape such a map might be of the greatest -assistance to me. - -With the idea of stealing this map, accordingly, a lieutenant and I got -in front of this interpreter's window one day and engaged in a very hot -argument as to whether Heidelberg was on the Rhine or not, and we argued -back and forth so vigorously that the German came out of his room, map -in hand, to settle it. After the matter was entirely settled to our -satisfaction he went back into his room and I watched where he put the -map. - -When, therefore, I learned that I was on my way to Germany I realized -that it was more important than ever for me to get that map, and, with -the help of my friend, we got the interpreter out of his room on some -pretext or another, and while he was gone I confiscated the map from -the book in which he kept it and concealed it in my sock underneath -my legging. As I had anticipated, it later proved of the utmost value -to me. - -I got it none too soon, for half an hour later we were on our way to -Ghent. Our party consisted of five British officers and one French -officer. At Ghent, where we had to wait for several hours for another -train to take us direct to the prison in Germany, two other prisoners -were added to our party. - -In the interval we were locked in a room at a hotel, a guard sitting at -the door with a rifle on his knee. It would have done my heart good for -the rest of my life if I could have got away then and fooled that Hun, -he was so cocksure. - -Later we were marched to the train that was to convey us to Germany. It -consisted of some twelve coaches, eleven of them containing troops going -home on leave, and the twelfth reserved for us. We were placed in a -fourth-class compartment, with old, hard, wooden seats, a filthy floor, -and no lights save a candle placed there by a guard. There were eight of -us prisoners and four guards. - -As we sat in the coach we were an object of curiosity to the crowd who -gathered at the station. - -"Hope you have a nice trip!" one of them shouted, sarcastically. - -"Drop me a line when you get to Berlin, will you?" shouted another in -broken English. - -"When shall we see you again?" asked a third. - -"Remember me to your friends, will you? You'll find plenty where you're -going!" shouted another. - -The German officers made no effort to repress the crowd; in fact, they -joined in the general laughter which followed every sally. - -I called to a German officer who was passing our window. - -"You're an officer, aren't you?" I asked, respectfully enough. - -"Yes. What of it?" he rejoined. - -"Well, in England," I said, "we let your officers who are prisoners ride -first-class. Can't you fix it so that we can be similarly treated, or be -transferred at least to a second-class compartment?" - -"If I had my way," he replied, "you'd ride with the hogs!" - -Then he turned to the crowd and told them of my request and how he had -answered me, and they all laughed hilariously. - -This got me pretty hot. - -"That would be a damned sight better than riding with the Germans!" I -yelled after him, but if he considered that a good joke, too, he didn't -pass it on to the crowd. - -Some months later when I had the honor of telling my story to King -George he thought this incident was one of the best jokes he had ever -heard. I don't believe he ever laughed harder in his life. - -Before our train pulled out our guards had to present their arms for -inspection, and their rifles were loaded in our presence to let us know -that they meant business. - -From the moment the train started on its way to Germany the thought kept -coming to my head that unless I could make my escape before we reached -that reprisal camp I might as well make up my mind that, as far as I was -concerned, the war was over. - -It occurred to me that if the eight of us in that car could jump up at a -given signal and seize those four Hun guards by surprise, we'd have a -splendid chance of besting them and jumping off the train when it first -slowed down, but when I passed the idea on to my comrades they turned it -down. Even if the plan had worked out as gloriously as I had pictured, -they pointed out, the fact that so many of us had escaped would almost -inevitably result in our recapture. The Huns would have scoured Belgium -till they had got us and then we would all be shot. Perhaps they were -right. - -Nevertheless, I was determined that, no matter what the others decided -to do, I was going to make one bid for freedom, come what might. - -As we passed through village after village in Belgium and I realized -that we were getting nearer and nearer to that dreaded reprisal camp, I -concluded that my one and only chance of getting free before we reached -it was through the window! I would have to go through that window while -the train was going full speed, because if I waited until it had slowed -up or stopped entirely, it would be a simple matter for the guards to -overtake or shoot me. - -I opened the window. The guard who sat opposite me--so close that his -feet touched mine and the stock of his gun which he held between his -knees occasionally struck my foot--made no objection, imagining, no -doubt, that I found the car too warm or that the smoke, with which the -compartment was filled, annoyed me. - -As I opened the window the noise the train was making as it thundered -along grew louder. It seemed to say: "You're a fool if you do; you're a -fool if you don't! You're a fool if you do; you're a fool if you don't!" -And I said to myself, "The 'no's' have it," and closed down the window -again. - -As soon as the window was closed the noise of the train naturally -subsided and its speed seemed to diminish, and my plan appealed to me -stronger than ever. - -I knew the guard in front of me didn't understand a word of English, and -so, in a quiet tone of voice, I confided to the English officer who sat -next me what I planned to do. - -"For God's sake, Pat, chuck it!" he urged. "Don't be a lunatic! This -railroad is double-tracked and rock-ballasted and the other track is on -your side. You stand every chance in the world of knocking your brains -out against the rails, or hitting a bridge or a whistling post, and, if -you escape those, you will probably be hit by another train on the other -track. You haven't one chance in a thousand to make it!" - -There was a good deal of logic in what he said, but I figured that, -once I was in that reprisal camp, I might never have even one chance -in a thousand to escape, and the idea of remaining a prisoner of war -indefinitely went against my grain. I resolved to take my chance now -even at the ride of breaking my neck. - -The car was full of smoke. I looked across at the guard. He was rather -an old man, going home on leave, and he seemed to be dreaming of what -was in store for him rather than paying any particular attention to me. -Once in a while I had smiled at him and I figured that he hadn't the -slightest idea of what was going through my mind all the time we had -been traveling. - -I began to cough as though my throat were badly irritated by the smoke, -and then I opened the window again. This time the guard looked up and -showed his disapproval, but did not say anything. - -It was then four o'clock in the morning and would soon be light. I knew -I had to do it right then or never, as there would be no chance to -escape in the daytime. - -I had on a trench coat that I had used as a flying-coat and wore a -knapsack which I had constructed out of a gas-bag brought into Courtrai -by a British prisoner. In this I had two pieces of bread, a piece of -sausage, and a pair of flying-mittens. All of them had to go with me -through the window. - -The train was now going at a rate of between thirty and thirty-five -miles an hour, and again it seemed to admonish me, as it rattled along -over the ties: "You're a fool if you do; you're a fool if you don't! -You're a fool if you don't; you're a fool if you do! You're a fool if -you don't--" - -I waited no longer. Standing up on the bench as if to put the bag on the -rack, and taking hold of the rack with my left hand and a strap that -hung from the top of the car with my right, I pulled myself up, shoved -my feet and legs out of the window, and let go! - -There was a prayer on my lips as I went out and I expected a bullet -between my shoulders, but it was all over in an instant. - -I landed on my left side and face, burying my face in the rock ballast, -cutting it open and closing my left eye, skinning my hands and shins and -straining my ankle. For a few moments I was completely knocked out, and -if they shot at me through the window, in the first moments after my -escape, I had no way of knowing. - -Of course, if they could have stopped the train right then, they could -easily have recaptured me, but at the speed it was going and in the -confusion which must have followed my escape, they probably didn't stop -within half a mile from the spot where I lay. - -I came to within a few minutes, and when I examined myself and found -no bones broken I didn't stop to worry about my cuts and bruises, but -jumped up with the idea of putting as great a distance between me and -that track as possible before daylight came. Still being dazed, I forgot -all about the barbed-wire fence along the right-of-way and ran full tilt -into it. Right there I lost one of my two precious pieces of bread, -which fell out of my knapsack, but I could not stop to look for it then. - -The one thing that was uppermost in my mind was that for the moment I -was free and it was up to me now to make the most of my liberty. - - - - -VII - -CRAWLING THROUGH GERMANY - - -The exact spot at which I made my desperate leap I don't know. Perhaps, -after the war is over, some one on that train will be good enough to -tell me, and then I may go back and look for the dent I must have made -in the rock ballast. - -As I have said, I didn't stop very long that morning after I once -regained my senses. - -I was bleeding profusely from the wounds caused by the fall, but I -checked it somewhat with handkerchiefs I held to my face and I also held -the tail of my coat so as to catch the blood as it fell and not leave -telltale traces on the ground. - -Before I stopped I had gone about a mile. Then I took my course from the -stars and found that I had been going just opposite to the direction I -should be making, but I could not go back across the track there. - -Heading west, therefore, I kept this course for about two and a half -hours, but as I was very weak from loss of blood I didn't cover very -much ground in that time. Just before daylight I came to a canal which I -knew I had to cross, and I swam it with everything I had on. - -This swim, which proved to be the first of a series that I was destined -to make, taught me several things. - -In the first place, I had forgotten to remove my wrist-watch. This watch -had been broken in my fall from the air, but I had had it repaired at -Courtrai. In the leap from the train the crystal had been broken again, -but it was still going and would probably have been of great service to -me in my subsequent adventures, but the swim across the canal ruined it. - -Then, too, I had not thought to take my map out of my sock, and the -water damaged that, too. - -Thereafter, whenever I had any swimming to do, I was careful to take -such matters into consideration, and my usual practice was to make a -bundle of all the things that would be damaged by water and tie it to -my head. In this way I was able to keep them dry. - -It was now daylight and I knew that it would be suicidal for me to -attempt to travel in the daytime. My British uniform would have been -fatal to me. I decided to hide in the daytime and travel only at night. - -Not far from the canal I could see a heavily wooded piece of ground, -and I made my way there. By this time I had discovered that my left -ankle had been strained in my leap from the train, and when I got to the -woods I was glad to lie down and rest. The wound in my mouth had been -opened, too, when I jumped, and it would have been difficult for me to -have swallowed had not the piece of bread, which was to serve for my -breakfast, got wet when I swam the canal. I found a safe hiding-place -in which to spend the day and I tried to dry some of my clothes, but a -slight drizzling rainfall made that out of the question. I knew that I -ought to sleep, as I planned to travel at night, but, sore as I was, -caked with mud and blood, my clothing soaked through, and my hunger not -nearly appeased, sleep was out of the question. This seemed to me about -the longest day I had ever spent, but I was still to learn how long a -day can really be and how much longer a night! - -When night came I dragged myself together and headed northeast. - -My clothing consisted of my Flying Corps uniform, two shirts, no -underwear, leather leggings, heavy shoes, a good pair of wool socks, and -a German cap. I had a wallet containing several hundred francs in paper -money and various other papers. I also had a jack-knife which I had -stolen one day from the property-room at Courtrai where all the personal -effects taken from prisoners were kept. For a day or two I carried the -knapsack, but as I had nothing to carry in it I discarded it. - -I traveled rapidly, considering my difficulties, and swam a couple of -canals that night, covering in all perhaps ten miles before daylight. -Then I located in some low bushes, lying there all day in my wet clothes -and finishing my sausage for food. That was the last of my rations. - -That night I made perhaps the same distance, but became very hungry and -thirsty before the night was over. - -For the next six days I still figured that I was in Germany, and I was -living on nothing but cabbage, sugar-beets, and an occasional carrot, -always in the raw state, just as I got them out of the fields. The water -I drank was often very rank, as I had to get it from canals and pools. -One night I lay in a cabbage-patch for an hour lapping the dew from the -leaves with my tongue! - -During this period I realized that I must avoid meeting any one at all -hazards. I was in the enemy's country and my uniform would have been a -dead give-away. Any one who captured me or who gave information from -which my capture resulted might have been sure of a handsome reward. I -knew that it was necessary for me to make progress as fast as possible, -but the main consideration was to keep out of sight, even if it took -me a year to get to Holland, which was my objective. From my map, I -estimated that I was about thirty-five miles from Strassburg when I made -my leap from the train, and if I could travel in a straight line I had -perhaps one hundred and fifty miles to travel. As it was, however, I was -compelled to make many detours, and I figured that two hundred and fifty -miles was nearer the extent of the journey ahead of me. - -In several parts of this country I had to travel through forests of -young pine-trees about twelve feet high. They were very close together -and looked almost as if they had been set out. They proved to be a -serious obstacle to me, because I could not see the stars through them, -and I was relying upon the heavens to guide me to freedom. I am not much -of an astronomer, but I know the Pole Star when I see it. But for it I -wouldn't be here to-day! - -I believe it rained every night and day while I was making my way -through Germany to Luxembourg. - -My invariable program at this stage of my journey was to travel steadily -all night until about six in the morning, when I would commence looking -around for a place wherein to hide during the day. Low bushes or woods -back from the road, as far as possible from the traveled pathway, -usually served me for this purpose. Having found such a spot, I would -drop down and try to sleep. My overcoat was my only covering, and that -was usually soaked through either from the rain or from swimming. - -The only sleep I got during those days was from exhaustion, and it -usually came to me toward dusk when it was time for me to start again. - -It was a mighty fortunate thing for me that I was not a smoker. Somehow -I have never used tobacco in any form and I was now fully repaid for -whatever pleasure I had foregone in the past as a result of my habits -in that particular, because my sufferings would certainly have been -intensified now if in addition to lack of food and rest I had had to -endure a craving for tobacco. - -About the sixth night I was so drowsy and exhausted when the time came -for me to be on the move that I was very much tempted to sleep through -the night. I knew, however, that that would be a bad precedent to -establish and I wouldn't give in. - -I plugged wearily along and about eleven o'clock, after I had covered -perhaps four miles, I sat down to rest for a moment on a shock of brush -which was sheltered from the drizzle somewhat by other shocks which were -stacked there. It was daylight when I awoke, and I found myself right in -a German's backyard. You can imagine that I lost no time getting out of -that neighborhood, and I made up my mind right then that I would never -give way to that "tired feeling" again. - -In the daytime, in my hiding-place, wherever it happened to be, I had -plenty of opportunity to study my map, and before very long I knew it -almost by heart. Unfortunately, however, it did not show all the rivers -and canals which I encountered, and sometimes it fooled me completely. - -It must have been about the ninth night that I crossed into Luxembourg, -but while this principality is officially neutral, it offered me no -safer a haven than Belgium would. The Huns have violated the neutrality -of both and discovery would have been followed by the same consequences -as capture in Germany proper. - -In the nine days I had covered perhaps seventy-five miles and I was -that much nearer liberty, but the lack of proper food, the constant -wearing of wet clothes, and the loss of sleep and rest had reduced me to -a very much weakened condition. I doubted very much whether I would be -able to continue, but I plugged along. - - - - -VIII - -NINE DAYS IN LUXEMBOURG - - -I was now heading northwest and I thought that by keeping that course I -would get out of Luxembourg and into Belgium, where I expected to be a -little better off, because the people in Luxembourg were practically the -same as Germans. - -One of the experiences I had in Luxembourg which I shall never forget -occurred the first day that I spent there. I had traveled all night -and I was feeling very weak. I came to a small wood with plenty of low -underbrush, and I picked out a thick clump of bushes which was not in -line with any paths, crawled in, and lay down to spend the day. - -The sun could just reach me through an opening in the trees above, -and I took off all my clothes except my shirt and hung them on the -bushes to dry in the sun. As the sun moved I moved the clothes around -correspondingly, because, tired as I was, I could take only cat-naps. - -That afternoon I awoke from one of these naps with a start. There were -voices not a dozen feet from me! My first impulse was to jump to my -feet and sell my life as dearly as I could, but on second thoughts I -decided to look before I leaped. Peeping through the underbrush, I could -just discern two men calmly chopping down a tree and conversing as they -worked. I thanked my lucky stars that I had not jumped up on my first -impulse, for I was apparently quite safe as long as I lay where I was. - -It then occurred to me that if the tree upon which they were working -should happen to fall in my direction it would crush me to death! It -was tall enough to reach me and big enough to kill me if it landed in -my direction, and as I could see only the heads of the men who were -chopping it down, I was unable to tell which way they planned to have it -fall. - -There was this much in my favor: the chances of the tree falling in just -my direction were not very great and there was more than an even chance -that the men would be wise enough to fell it so that it would not, -because if it landed in the bushes the task of trimming the branches off -the trunk would be so much harder. - -But, even without this feeling of security, there was really nothing -else I could do but wait and see what fate had in store for me. I lay -there watching the top of the tree for more than an hour. Time and again -I saw it sway and fancied it was coming in my direction, and it was all -I could do to keep my place, but a moment later I would hear the crash -of the men's axes and I knew that my imagination had played me a trick. - -I was musing on the sorry plight I was in--weak, nearly starving to -death, a refugee in a hostile country and waiting patiently to see which -way a tree was going to fall--when there came a loud crack and I saw the -top of the tree sway and fall almost opposite to the place where I lay! -I had guessed right. - -Later I heard some children's voices, and again peering through the -underbrush, I saw that they had brought the men their lunch. You can't -realize how I felt to see them eating their lunch so near at hand and -to know that, hungry as I was, I could have none of it. I was greatly -tempted to go boldly up to them and take a chance of getting a share, -but I did not know whether they were Germans or not, and I had gone -through too much to risk my liberty even for food. I swallowed my hunger -instead. - -Shortly afterward it began to rain, and about four o'clock the men -left. I crawled out as fast as I could, and scurried around looking for -crumbs, but found none, and when darkness came I went on my way once -more. - -That night I came to a river, and as it was the first time my clothes -had been dry for a long time, I thought I would try to keep them that -way as long as possible. I accordingly took off all my things and made -them into two bundles, planning to carry one load across and then swim -back for the other. - -The river was quite wide, but I am a fairly good swimmer, and I figured -I could rest awhile after the first trip before going back for the -second bundle. - -The first swim was uneventful. When I landed on the other side I drank -till my thirst was quenched, and then swam back. After resting awhile -I started across a third time, with my shoes and several other things -firmly tied to my head. Just about ten feet from the opposite bank one -of the shoes worked its way loose and sank in about eight feet of water. -There was nothing to do but finish the trip and then go back and dive -for the missing shoe, as I could not go on with a single shoe. - -Diving in my weakened condition was considerable strain, but I had to -have that shoe, and I kept at it for nearly an hour before I eventually -found it, and I was pretty nearly all in by that time. - -That was the last time I ever took my shoes off, for my feet were -becoming so swollen that I figured if I took my shoes off I might be -unable to get them on again. - -This stunt of crossing the river and diving for the lost shoe had -consumed about three hours, and after resting some fifteen minutes I -went on my way again. I had hardly gone a mile when I came to another -river, about the same size as the one I had just crossed. I walked -along the bank awhile, thinking that I might be lucky enough to find a -boat or a bridge, but after walking about half an hour I received one -of those disappointments which "come once in a lifetime." I found that -this river was the one I had just swum! I had swum it on the bend and -was still on the wrong side! Had I made only a short detour in the first -place, I would have avoided all the annoyance of the past three hours -and saved my strength and time. I was never so mad in my life at myself -as I was to think that I had not paid more attention to the course of -the stream before I undertook to cross it, but, as a matter of fact, -there was really no way of telling. The river was not shown on my map at -all. - -Now I _had_ to cross it, whereas before I could have turned it. I walked -boldly into the water, not bothering to take my clothes off this time, -nor did I ever bother to take them off afterward when swimming canals -or rivers. I found it was impossible to keep them dry, anyway, and so I -might just as well swim in them and save time. - -All the next day I spent in a forest, to which my night's travel had -brought me about five o'clock in the morning. I kept on my way through -the woods until daylight came, and then, thinking the place would afford -fairly good concealment, I concluded to rest until night. - -The prospects of even a good sleep were dismal, however, for about the -time the sun's face should have appeared a drizzling rain began and I -gave up my search for a dry spot which would serve as a bed. Some of the -leaves were beginning to fall, but of course there were not enough of -them to have formed a covering for the ground, and the dampness seemed -to have penetrated everywhere. - -I wandered around through the woods for two or three hours, looking for -shelter, but without any success, for, though the trees were large, the -forest was not dense and there was practically no brush or shrubbery. -Consequently, one could get a fairly clear view for some distance, and I -knew it would be unwise to drop off to sleep just any place, or some one -would surely happen onto me. - -Once I came very near the edge of the woods and heard voices of men -driving by in a wagon, but I couldn't make out just what they were, and -instinct told me I had better not come out of the woods, so I turned -back. Here and there small artificial ditches had been dug, which at -a dry season might have cradled a weary fugitive, but now they, too, -were filled with water. Once I singled out a good big tree with large -branches and thought I might climb into it and go to sleep, but the -longer I looked at it the more I realized that it would require more -energy than I had in my present weak and exhausted condition, so I -didn't attempt that. - -Finally I chose a spot that looked a bit drier than the rest, concluded -to take a chance on being discovered, and threw myself down for a nap. -I was extremely nervous, though, throughout that whole day and would -scarcely get settled into a comfortable position and doze off for a few -minutes when, startled by some sound in the woods, I would suddenly -waken. - -After what seemed like a year or more, night finally came, and with it a -"dud" sky, low-hanging clouds, and still more rain. There was not a star -in the sky, of course, and that made it very bad, because without the -aid of the stars I had absolutely no way of knowing in which direction -I was going. It was just a case of taking a chance. I probably would -have been better off if I had simply picked out a place and stayed there -until the weather improved, but naturally I was impatient to be on my -way when each day without food only lessened my strength and my ultimate -chances of reaching the frontier. - -So I left the woods and struck off in the direction which I thought was -north. I hadn't been at all sure of my bearings the day before, and as -it had rained the sun failed entirely to help me out; but I was almost -sure I had the right direction, and trusted to luck. That night I found -more rivers, canals, and swamps than I ever found in my life before, but -I had the good fortune to stumble on to some celery, and after my diet -of beets it surely was a treat. Perhaps it's unnecessary to add that -I took on a good supply of celery, and for days I went along chewing -celery like a cow would a cud. - -Along toward morning, when I supposed I had got in a fairly good lap of -my journey--perhaps seven or eight miles--I began to recognize certain -objects as familiar landmarks. At least, I thought I had seen them -before, and as I traveled along I knew positively I had seen certain -objects very recently. Off at my right--not over a quarter of a mile--I -noticed some fairly good-sized woods, and thought I would go over there -to hide that day, because it looked as though the sun was going to -shine, and I hoped to get my clothes dry and perhaps get a decent sleep. -I had this celery and a large beet, so I knew I would be able to live -the day through. - -Finally, I made my way over to the woods. It was still too dark in among -the trees to do much in the way of selecting my quarters for the day, -and I could not go a step farther. So I waited on the edge of the forest -until dawn and then set out to explore the place with a view to finding -some nook where I might sleep. Imagine my disgust and discouragement, -too, when, an hour or so later, I came upon the exact place where I had -spent the day before, and I realized that all night long I had been -circling the very woods I was trying to get away from. I think perhaps -I had gone all of a quarter of a mile in the right direction, but then -had lost my bearings entirely and daylight found me with nothing -accomplished. - -The sun, however, did come out that day, and I welcomed its warm rays -as they perhaps have never been welcomed before. I was very tired--just -about all in--but I spent a better day in the woods than the previous -one. - -That night the stars came out; I located my friend, the North Star, -and tried to make up for lost time. But when one is making only seven -or eight miles a day, or rather a night, one night lost means a whole -lot, especially when each day keeps him from freedom. Such ill fortune -and discouragements as this were harder to endure, I believe, than the -actual hunger, and the accompanying worry naturally reduced my weight. -At times I was furiously angry with myself for the mistakes I made and -the foolish things I did, but I always tried to see something funny -about the situation, whatever it might be, that relieved the strain a -bit and helped to pass the time. I think if a man is overburdened with -a sense of humor and wants to get rid of it, this trip I took would be -an excellent remedy for it. Right at this time I would have welcomed -anything for a companion; I believe even a snake would have been a -godsend to me. - -With a name as Irish as mine, it is only natural that I looked for -goats along the way, thinking that I might be able to milk them. There -are very few cows in this country, and the opportunities for milking -them fewer than the cows themselves, because they are housed in barns -adjoining the homes and always alertly watched by their fortunate -owners. I did hope that I might find a goat staked out some place in the -fields, but in all my travels I never saw a goat or a pig, and only a -few cows. Several times I searched nests for eggs, but somebody always -had beaten me to it, as I never even found so much as a nest egg. - -There was no chance of getting away with any "bullying" stuff in -Luxembourg, I knew, because the young men have not been forced into -the army and are still at home, and as they are decidedly pro-German, -it would have been pretty hard for me to demand anything in that part -of the country. It was not like taking things away from old men and -women or robbing people that could not stop me if they chose to do so. -I thought at this time that I was suffering about the worst hardships -any human being could ever be called upon to endure, but I was later to -find out that the best of my journey was made along about this time. -There were plenty of vegetables, even though they were raw, and these -were much better than the things I was afterward compelled to eat or go -without. - -We frequently hear of men who have lived for a certain number of days -on their own resources in the woods just on a bet or to prove that the -"back to nature" theory still has its merits and will still work. My -advice to some of those nature-seekers is to, if in the future they wish -to make a real good record, try the little countries of Luxembourg and -Belgium, with a slice of Germany thrown in. - -I suppose that during this experience of mine I made many mistakes -and traveled many unnecessary miles which one with a knowledge of -woodsmanship might have avoided, and I failed to take advantage of many -things which would have been quite apparent to one who knew. It must -not be forgotten, however, that I did not undertake this adventure -voluntarily. It was "wished on me." I simply had to make the most of the -knowledge I had. - -At about this time blisters began to appear on my legs and my knees -swelled. In addition I was pretty well convinced that I had lost the -sight of my left eye. I hadn't seen a thing out of it since my leap from -the train. - -When I imagine the villainous appearance I must have presented at this -time--my unhealed wounds, eighteen days' growth of beard, and general -haggard and unkempt visage--I think the fear I felt about meeting -strangers was perhaps unwarranted. The chances are they would have been -infinitely more scared than I! - -As it was, I was nearly out of Luxembourg before I really came face -to face with any one. It was about six o'clock in the morning and I -was traveling along a regular path. Just as I approached a cross-path -I heard footsteps coming down it. I stopped short, stooped over, and -pretended to be adjusting my shoe-lace, figuring that if the stranger -turned into my path he would probably pass right by me. As luck would -have it, he continued on his way and never noticed me at all. - -After that I frequently noticed groups of Luxembourg peasants in the -distance, but I usually saw them first and managed to avoid them. - -About the eighteenth day after my leap from the train I crossed into -Belgium. It had taken me just nine days to get through Luxembourg--a -distance which a man could ordinarily cover in two, but, considering -the handicaps under which I labored, I was very well satisfied with my -progress. - - - - -IX - -I ENTER BELGIUM - - -I have said it was about the eighteenth day after my escape that I -entered Belgium, but that is more or less guesswork. I was possibly well -into that country before I realized that I had crossed the line. - -About the third day after I figured I was in Belgium I started to swim -a canal just before daylight. I was then heading due north in the -direction of the German lines. I was just about to wade into the canal -when I heard a German yelling violently, and for the first time I knew I -was being followed! - -I ran up the bank of the canal quite a distance and then swam to the -opposite side, as I reasoned they would not be looking for me there. -I found a sheltered clump of bushes in a swamp near the canal, and -in the driest part that I could find I crawled in and made myself as -comfortable as possible. The sun came up soon and kept me warm, and I -planned to camp right there, food or no food, until the Huns got tired -of searching for me. I think I heard them once or twice that day, and -my heart nearly stopped on each occasion, but evidently they decided to -look in some other direction and I was not further molested. - -At the same time I figured that it was absolutely necessary for me to -change my course even at the expense of going somewhat out of my way. -Certainly if I went north they would get me. I decided to go due west, -and I kept in that direction for four days. - -As I was in a very weak condition, I did not cover more than five miles -a night. I kept away from the roads and did all my journeying through -fields, beet-patches, woods, swamps--anywhere, provided I was not likely -to be seen and captured. Food was an important consideration to me, but -it was secondary to concealment. - -At last I brought up at the Meuse River at a place between Namur and -Huy, and it was here that I came nearest of all to giving up the -struggle. - -The Meuse at this point is about half a mile wide--as wide as the -Hudson River at West Point. Had I been in normal condition I wouldn't -have hesitated a moment to swim across. San Diego Bay, California, is -a mile and a half wide, and I had often swum across and back, and the -San Joaquin, which is also a mile and a half wide, had never proved an -obstacle to me. - -In the wretched shape in which I then was, however, the Meuse looked -like the Atlantic Ocean to me. I looked for a boat, but could find none. -I tried to get a piece of wood upon which I hoped to ferry across, but I -was equally unsuccessful. - -Get across I must, and I decided there was nothing to do but swim it. - -It was then about three o'clock in the morning. I waded in and was soon -in beyond my depth and had to swim. After about an hour of it I was very -much exhausted and I doubted whether I could make the opposite bank, -although it was not more than thirty or forty feet away. I choked and -gasped and my arms and legs were completely fagged out. I sank a little -and tried to touch bottom with my feet, but the water was still beyond -my depth. - -There are times when every one will pray, and I was no exception. I -prayed for strength to make those few wicked yards, and then, with all -the will power I could summon, struck out for dear life. It seemed a -lifetime before I finally felt the welcome mud of bottom and was able to -drag myself up to the bank, but I got there. The bank was rather high, -and I was shaking so violently that when I took hold of the grass to -pull myself up, the grass shook out of my hands. I could not retain my -grip. I was afraid I would faint then and there, but I kept pulling and -crawling frantically up that infernal bank, and finally made it. - -Then, for the first time in my life, I fainted--fainted from utter -exhaustion. - -It was now about four o'clock in the morning and I was entirely -unprotected from observation. If any one had come along I would have -been found lying there dead to the world. - -Possibly two hours passed before I regained consciousness, and then, no -doubt, only because the rain was beating in my face. - -I knew that I had to get away, as it was broad daylight. Moreover, there -was a towpath right there and any minute a boat might come along and -find me. But it was equally dangerous for me to attempt to travel very -far. Fortunately, I found some shrubbery near by, and I hid there all -day, without food or drink. - -That night I made a little headway, but when day broke I had a dreadful -fever and was delirious. I talked to myself and thereby increased my -chances of capture. In my lucid intervals, when I realized that I had -been talking, the thought sent a chill through me, because in the silent -night even the slightest sound carries far across the Belgian country. I -began to fear that another day of this would about finish me. - -I have a distinct recollection of a ridiculous conversation I carried on -with an imaginary Pat O'Brien--a sort of duplicate of myself. I argued -with him as I marched drearily along, and he answered me back in kind, -and when we disagreed I called upon my one constant friend, the North -Star, to stand by me. - -"There you are, you old North Star!" I cried, aloud. "You want me to get -to Holland, don't you? But this Pat O'Brien--this Pat O'Brien who calls -himself a soldier--he's got a yellow streak--North Star--and he says it -can't be done! He wants me to quit--to lie down here for the Huns to -find me and take me back to Courtrai--after all you've done, North Star, -to lead me to liberty. Won't you make this coward leave me, North Star? -I don't want to follow him--I just want to follow you--because you--you -are taking me away from the Huns and this Pat O'Brien--this fellow who -keeps after me all the time and leans on my neck and wants me to lie -down--this yellow Pat O'Brien wants me to go back to the Huns!" - -After a spell of foolish chatter like that my senses would come back to -me for a while and I would trudge along without a word until the fever -came on me again. - -I knew that I had to have food because I was about on my last legs. I -was very much tempted to lie down then and there and call it a heat. -Things seemed to be getting worse for me the farther I went, and all -the time I had before me the specter of that electric barrier between -Belgium and Holland, even if I ever reached there alive. What was the -use of further suffering when I would probably be captured in the end, -anyway? - -Before giving up, however, I decided upon one bold move. I would -approach one of the houses in the vicinity and get food there or die in -the effort! - -I picked out a small house, because I figured there would be less -likelihood of soldiers being billeted there. - -Then I wrapped a stone in my khaki handkerchief as a sort of camouflaged -weapon, determined to kill the occupant of the house, German or Belgian, -if that step were necessary in order to get food. I tried the well in -the yard, but it would not work, and then I went up to the door and -knocked. - -It was one o'clock in the morning. An old lady came to the window and -looked out. She could not imagine what I was, probably, because I was -still attired in that old overcoat. She gave a cry, and her husband and -a boy came to the door. - -They could not speak English and I could not speak Flemish, but I -pointed to my flying-coat and then to the sky and said "_fleger_" -("flier"), which I thought would tell them what I was. - -Whether they understood or were intimidated by my hard-looking -appearance, I don't know, but certainly it would have to be a brave old -man and boy who would start an argument with such a villainous-looking -character as stood before them that night! I had not shaved for a month, -my clothes were wet, torn, and dirty, my leggings were gone--they -had got so heavy I had discarded them--my hair was matted, and my -cheeks were flushed with fever. In my hand I carried the rock in my -handkerchief, and I made no effort to conceal its presence or its -mission. - -Anyway, they motioned me indoors and gave me my first hot meal in more -than a month. True, it consisted only of warm potatoes. They had been -previously cooked, but the old woman warmed them up in milk in one of -the dirtiest kettles I had ever seen. I asked for bread, but she shook -her head, although I think it must have been for lack of it rather -than because she begrudged it to me. For if ever a man showed he was -famished, I did that night. I swallowed those warm potatoes ravenously -and I drank four glasses of water one after another. It was the best -meal I had had since the "banquet" in the prison at Courtrai. - -The woman of the house was probably seventy-five years old and had -evidently worn wooden shoes all her life, for she had a callous spot on -the side of her foot the size of half a dollar, and it looked so hard -that I doubt whether you could have driven a nail into it with a hammer. - -As I sat there drying myself--for I was in no hurry to leave the first -human habitation I had entered in four weeks--I reflected on my unhappy -lot and the unknown troubles and dangers that lay ahead of me. Here, for -more than a month, I had been leading the life of a hunted animal--yes, -worse than a hunted animal, for Nature clothes her less favored -creatures more appropriately for the life they lead than I was clothed -for mine--and there was not the slightest reason to hope that conditions -would grow better. - -Perhaps the first warm food I had eaten for over a month had released -unused springs of philosophy in me, as food sometimes does for a man. - -I pointed to my torn and water-soaked clothes and conveyed to them as -best I could that I would be grateful for an old suit, but apparently -they were too poor to have more than they actually needed themselves, -and I rose to go. I had roused them out of bed, and I knew I ought not -to keep them up longer than was absolutely necessary. - -As I approached the door I got a glance at myself in a mirror. I was -the awfulest sight I had ever laid eyes on! The glimpse I got of myself -startled me almost as much as if I had seen a dreaded German helmet! My -left eye was fairly well healed by this time, and I was beginning to -regain the sight of it, but my face was so haggard and my beard so long -and unkempt that I looked like Santa Claus on a "bat." - -As they let me out of the door I pointed to the opposite direction -to the one I intended taking and started off in the direction I had -indicated. Later I changed my course completely to throw off any -possible pursuit. - -The next day I was so worn out from exposure and exhaustion that I -threw away my coat, thinking that the less weight I had to carry the -better it would be for me, but when night came I regretted my mistake, -because the nights were now getting colder. I thought at first it would -be best for me to retrace my steps and look for the coat I had so -thoughtlessly discarded, but I decided to go on without it. - -I then began to discard everything that I had in my pocket, finally -throwing my wrist-watch into a canal. A wrist-watch does not add much -weight, but when you plod along and have not eaten for a month it -finally becomes rather heavy. The next thing I discarded was a pair of -flying-mittens. - -These mittens I had got at Camp Borden, in Canada, and had become quite -famous, as my friends termed them "snow-shoes." In fact, they were a -ridiculous pair of mittens, but the best pair I ever had, and I really -felt worse when I lost those mittens than anything else. I could not -think of anybody else ever using them, so I dug a hole in the mud and -buried them, and could not help but laugh at the thought of what my -friends would say had they seen me burying my mittens, because they -were a standing joke in Canada, England, and France. - -I had on two shirts, and as they were always both wet and didn't keep me -warm, it was useless to wear both. One of these was a shirt that I had -bought in France, the other an American army shirt. They were both khaki -and one as apt to give me away as the other, so I discarded the French -shirt. The American army shirt I brought back with me to England, and it -is still in my possession. - -When I escaped from the train I still had that Bavarian cap of bright -red in my pocket and wore it for many nights, but I took great care that -no one saw it. It also had proved very useful when swimming rivers, for -I carried my map and a few other belongings in it, and I had fully made -up my mind to bring it home as a souvenir. But the farther I went the -heavier my extra clothing became, so I was compelled to discard even -the cap. I knew that it would be a telltale mark if I simply threw it -away, so one night after swimming a river I dug a hole in the soft mud -on the bank and buried it, too, with considerably less ceremony than -my flying-mittens had received, perhaps; and that was the end of my -Bavarian hat. - -My experience at the Belgian's house whetted my appetite for warm food, -and I figured that what had been done once could be done again. Sooner -or later I realized I would probably approach a Belgian and find a -German instead, but in such a contingency I was determined to measure my -strength against the Hun's if necessary to effect my escape. - -As it was, however, most of the Belgians to whom I applied for food gave -it to me readily enough, and if some of them refused me it was only -because they feared I might be a spy or that the Germans would shoot -them if their action were subsequently found out. - -About the fifth day after I had entered Belgium I was spending the day -as usual in a clump of bushes when I discerned in the distance what -appeared to be something hanging on a line. All day long I strained my -eyes trying to decide what it could be and arguing with myself that it -might be something that I could add to my inadequate wardrobe, but the -distance was so great that I could not identify it. I had a great fear -that before night came it would probably be removed. - -As soon as darkness fell, however, I crawled out of my hiding-place and -worked up to the line and got a pair of overalls for my industry. It was -a mighty joyful night for me. That pair of overalls was the first bit -of civilian clothes I had thus far picked up, with the exception of a -civilian cap which I had found at the prison and concealed on my person -and which I still had. The overalls were rather small and very short, -but when I put them on I found that they hung down far enough to cover -my breeches. - -It was perhaps three days later that I planned to search another house -for further clothes. Entering Belgian houses at night is anything but a -safe proposition, because their families are large and sometimes as many -as seven or eight sleep in a single room. The barn is usually connected -with the house proper, and there was always the danger of disturbing -some dumb animal, even if the inmates of the house were not aroused. - -Frequently I took a chance of searching a backyard at night in the hope -of finding food scraps, but my success in that direction was so slight -that I soon decided it wasn't worth the risk, and I continued to live on -the raw vegetables that I could pick with safety in the fields and the -occasional meal that I was able to get from the Belgian peasants in the -daytime. - -Nevertheless, I was determined to get more in the way of clothing, and -when night came I picked out a house that looked as though it might -furnish me with what I wanted. It was a moonlight night, and if I could -get in the barn I would have a fair chance of finding my way around by -the moonlight which would enter the windows. - -The barn adjoined the main part of the house, but I groped around very -carefully and soon I touched something hanging on a peg. I didn't know -what it was, but I confiscated it and carried it out into the fields. -There in the moonlight I examined my booty and found it was an old coat. -It was too short as an overcoat and too long for an ordinary coat, but -nevertheless I made use of it. It had probably been an overcoat for the -Belgian who had worn it. - -Some days later I got a scarf from a Belgian peasant, and with this -equipment I was able to conceal my uniform entirely. - -Later on, however, I decided that it was too dangerous to keep the -uniform on anyway, and when night came I dug a hole and buried it. - -I never realized until I had to part with it just how much I thought of -that uniform. It had been with me through many hard trials, and I felt -as if I were abandoning a friend when I parted with it. I was tempted -to keep the wings off the tunic, but thought that that would be a -dangerous concession to sentiment in the event that I was ever captured. -It was the only distinction I had left, as I had given the Royal Flying -Corps badges and the stars of my rank to the German Flying Officers as -souvenirs, but I felt that it was safer to discard it. As it finally -turned out, through all my subsequent experiences my escape would never -have been jeopardized had I kept my uniform, but, of course, I had no -idea what was in store for me. - -There was one thing which surprised me very much as I journeyed through -Belgium, and that was the scarcity of dogs. Apparently most of them have -been taken by the Germans, and what are left are beasts of burden who -are too tired at night to bark or bother intruders. This was a mighty -good thing for me, for I would certainly have stirred them up in passing -through backyards, as I sometimes did when I was making a short cut. - -One night as I came out of a yard it was so pitch dark I could not see -ten feet ahead of me, and I was right in the back of a little village, -although I did not know it. I crawled along, fearing I might come to a -crossroads at which there would in all probability be a German sentry. - -My precaution served me in good stead, for I had come out in the main -street of a village and within twenty feet of me, sitting on some bricks -where they were building a little store, I could see the dim outline of -a German spiked helmet! - -I could not cross the street and the only thing to do was to back-track. -It meant making a long detour and losing two hours of precious time -and effort, but there was no help for it, and I plodded wearily back, -cursing the Huns at every step. - -The next night while crossing some fields I came to a road. It was one -of the main roads of Belgium and was paved with cobblestones. On these -roads you can hear a wagon or horse about a mile or two away. I listened -intently before I moved ahead, and, hearing nothing, concluded that the -way was clear. - -As I emerged from the field and got my first glimpse of the road I got -the shock of my life! In either direction, as far as I could see, the -road was lined with German soldiers! - -What they were doing in that part of Belgium I did not know, but you can -be mighty sure I didn't spend any time trying to find out. - -Again it was necessary to change my course and lose a certain amount of -ground, but by this time I had become fairly well reconciled to these -reverses and they did not depress me as much as they had at first. - -At this period of my adventure if a day or a night passed without its -thrill I began to feel almost disappointed, but such disappointments -were rather rare. - -One evening as I was about to swim a canal about two hundred feet wide I -suddenly noticed, about one hundred yards away, a canal-boat moored to -the side. - -It was a sort of out-of-the-way place, and I wondered what the -canal-boat had stopped for. I crawled up to see. As I neared the boat -five men were leaving it, and I noticed them cross over into the fields. -At a safe distance I followed them, and they had not gone very far -before I saw what they were after. They were committing the common but -heinous crime of stealing potatoes! - -Without the means to cook them, potatoes didn't interest me a bit, and -I thought that the boat itself would probably yield me more than the -potato-patch. Knowing that the canal hands would probably take their -time in the fields, I climbed up the stern of the boat leisurely and -without any particular pains to conceal myself. Just as my head appeared -above the stern of the boat I saw, silhouetted against the sky, the -dreaded outline of a German soldier--spiked helmet and all! A chill ran -down my spine as I dropped to the bank of the canal and slunk away. -Evidently the sentry had not seen me or, if he had, he had probably -figured that I was one of the foraging party, but I realized that it -wouldn't pay in future to take anything for granted. - - - - -X - -EXPERIENCES IN BELGIUM - - -I think that one of the worst things I had to contend with in my journey -through Belgium was the number of small ditches. They intercepted me at -every half-mile or so, sometimes more frequently. The canals and the big -rivers I could swim. Of course, I got soaked to the skin every time I -did it, but I was becoming hardened to that. - -These little ditches, however, were too narrow to swim and too wide to -jump. They had perhaps two feet of water in them and three feet of mud, -and it was almost invariably a case of wading through. Some of them, no -doubt, I could have jumped if I had been in decent shape, but with a bad -ankle and in the weakened condition in which I was, it was almost out of -the question. - -One night I came to a ditch about eight or nine feet wide. I thought I -was strong enough to jump it, and it was worth trying, as the discomfort -I suffered after wading these ditches was considerable. Taking a long -run, I jumped as hard as I could, but I missed it by four or five inches -and landed in about two feet of water and three feet more of mud. -Getting out of that mess was quite a job. The water was too dirty and -too scanty to enable me to wash off the mud with which I was covered -and it was too wet to scrape off. I just had to wait until it dried and -scrape it off then. - -In many sections of Belgium through which I had to pass I encountered -large areas of swamp and marshy ground, and, rather than waste the time -involved in looking for better underfooting--which I might not have -found, anyway--I used to plod right through the mud. Apart from the -discomfort of this method of traveling and the slow time I made, there -was an added danger to me in the fact that the "squash-squash" noise -which I made might easily be overheard by Belgians and Germans and give -my position away. Nobody would cross a swamp or marsh in that part -of the country unless he was trying to get away from somebody, and I -realized my danger, but could not get around it. - -It was a common sight in Belgium to see a small donkey and a common, -ordinary milch cow hitched together, pulling a wagon. When I first -observed the unusual combination I thought it was a donkey and ox or -bull, but closer inspection revealed to me that cows were being used for -the purpose. - -From what I was able to observe, there must be very few horses left in -Belgium except those owned by the Germans. Cows and donkeys are now -doing the work formerly done by horses and mules. Altogether I spent -nearly eight weeks wandering through Belgium and in all that time I -don't believe I saw more than half a dozen horses in the possession of -the native population. - -One of the scarcest things in Germany, apparently, is rubber, for I -noticed that their motor trucks, or lorries, unlike our own, had no -rubber tires. Instead, heavy iron bands were employed. I could hear -them come rumbling along the stone roads for miles before they reached -the spot where I happened to be in hiding. When I saw these military -roads in Belgium for the first time, with their heavy cobblestones that -looked as if they would last for centuries, I realized at once why it -was that the Germans had been able to make such a rapid advance into -Belgium at the start of the war. - -I noticed that the Belgians used dogs to a considerable extent to pull -their carts, and I thought many times that if I could have stolen one -of those dogs it would have made a very good companion for me, and -might, if the occasion arose, help me out in a fight. But I had no way -of feeding it and the animal would probably have starved to death. I -could live on vegetables which I could always depend upon finding in the -fields, but a dog couldn't, and so I gave up the idea. - -The knack of making fire with two pieces of dry wood I had often read -about, but I had never put it to a test, and for various reasons I -concluded that it would be unsafe for me to build a fire even if I had -matches. In the first place, there was no absolute need for it. I -didn't have anything to cook, nor utensils to cook it in even if I had. -While the air was getting to be rather cool at night, I was usually on -the go at the time and didn't notice it. In the daytime, when I was -resting or sleeping, the sun was usually out. - -To have borrowed matches from a Belgian peasant would have been -feasible, but when I was willing to take the chance of approaching any -one it was just as easy to ask for food as matches. - -In the second place, it would have been extremely dangerous to have -built a fire even if I had needed it. You can't build a fire in Belgium, -which is the most thickly populated country in Europe, without every one -knowing it, and I was far from anxious to advertise my whereabouts. - -The villages in the part of Belgium through which I was making my course -were so close together that there was hardly ever an hour passed without -my hearing some clock strike. Every village has its clock. Many times I -could hear the clocks striking in two villages at the same time. - -But the hour had very little interest to me. My program was to travel as -fast as I could from sunset to sunrise and pay no attention to the hours -in between, and in the daytime I had only two things to worry about: -keep concealed and get as much sleep as possible. - -The cabbage that I got in Belgium consisted of the small heads that -the peasants had not cut. All the strength had concentrated in these -little heads and they would be as bitter as gall. I would have to be -pretty hungry to-day before I could ever eat cabbage again, and the same -observation applies to carrots, turnips, and sugar-beets--especially -sugar-beets. - -It is rather a remarkable thing that to-day even the smell of turnips, -raw or cooked, makes me sick, and yet a few short months ago my life -depended upon them. - -Night after night, as I searched for food, I was always in hopes that -I might come upon some tomatoes or celery--vegetables which I really -liked, but with the exception of once, when I found some celery, I was -never so fortunate. I ate so much of the celery the night I came upon it -that I was sick for two days thereafter, but I carried several bunches -away with me and used to chew on it as I walked along. - -Of course, I kept my eyes open all the time for fruit trees, but -apparently it was too late in the year for fruit, as all that I ever was -able to find were two pears which I got out of a tree. That was one of -my red-letter days, but I was never able to repeat it. - -In the brooks and ponds that I passed I often noticed fish of different -kinds. That was either in the early morning, just before I turned in for -the day, or on moonlight nights when the water seemed as clear in spots -as in the daytime. It occurred to me that it would be a simple matter to -rig a hook and line and catch some of the fish, but I had no means of -cooking them and it was useless to fish for the sake of it. - -One night in Belgium my course took me through a desolate stretch -of country which seemed to be absolutely uncultivated. I must have -covered twelve miles during the night without passing a single farm or -cultivated field. My stock of turnips which I had plucked the night -before was gone and I planned, of course, to get enough to carry me -through the following day. - -The North Star was shining brightly that night and there was absolutely -nothing to prevent my steering an absolutely direct course for Holland -and liberty, but my path seemed to lie through arid pastures. Far to the -east or to the west I could hear faintly the striking of village bells, -and I knew that if I changed my course I would undoubtedly strike farms -and vegetables, but the North Star seemed to plead with me to follow it, -and I would not turn aside. - -When daylight came the consequence was I was empty-handed, and I had to -find a hiding-place for the day. I thought I would approach the first -peasant I came to and ask for food, but that day I had misgivings--a -hunch--that I would get into trouble if I did, and I decided to go -without food altogether for that day. - -It was a foolish thing to do, I found, because I not only suffered -greatly from hunger all that day, but it interfered with my sleep. I -would drop off to sleep for half an hour, perhaps, and during that time -I would dream that I was free, back home, living a life of comparative -ease, and then I would wake up with a start and catch a glimpse of the -bushes surrounding me, feel the hard ground beneath me and the hunger -pangs gnawing at my insides, and then I would realize how far from home -I really was, and I would lie there and wonder whether I would ever -really see my home again. Then I would fall asleep again and dream this -time, perhaps, of the days I spent in Courtrai, of my leap from the -train window, of the Bavarian pilot whom I sent to eternity in my last -air-fight, of my tracer-bullets getting closer and closer to his head, -and then I would wake up again with a start and thank the Lord that I -was only dreaming it all again instead of living through it! - -That night I got an early start because I knew I had to have food, and I -decided that, rather than look for vegetables, I would take a chance and -apply to the first Belgian peasant I came to. - -It was about eight o'clock when I came to a small house. I had picked up -a heavy stone and had bound it in my handkerchief, and I was resolved to -use it as a weapon if it became necessary. After all I had gone through -I was resolved to win my liberty eventually at whatever cost. - -As it happened, I found that night the first real friend I had -encountered in all my traveling. When I knocked timidly on the door it -was opened by a Belgian peasant, about fifty years of age. He asked me -in Flemish what I wanted, but I shook my head and, pointing to my ears -and mouth, intimated that I was deaf and dumb, and then I opened and -closed my teeth several times to show him that I wanted food. - -He showed me inside and sat me at the table. He apparently lived alone, -for his ill-furnished room had but one chair, and the plate and knife -and fork he put before me seemed to be all he had. He brought me some -cold potatoes and several slices of stale bread, and he warmed me some -milk on a small oil-stove. - -I ate ravenously, and all the time I was engaged I knew that he was -eying me closely. - -Before I was half through he came over to me, touched me on the -shoulder, and, stooping over so that his lips almost touched my ear, he -said, in broken English, "You are an Englishman--I know it--and you can -hear and talk if you wish. Am I not right?" - -There was a smile on his face and a friendly attitude about him that -told me instinctively that he could be trusted, and I replied, "You have -guessed right--only I am an American, not an Englishman." - -He looked at me pityingly and filled my cup again with warm milk. - -His kindness and apparent willingness to help me almost overcame me, -and I felt like warning him of the consequences he would suffer if the -Huns discovered he had befriended me. I had heard that twenty Belgians -had been shot for helping Belgians to escape into Holland, and I hated -to think what might happen to this Good Samaritan if the Huns ever knew -that he had helped an escaped American prisoner. - -After my meal was finished I told him in as simple language as I could -command of some of the experiences I had gone through, and I outlined my -future plans. - -"You will never be able to get to Holland," he declared, "without a -passport. The nearer you get to the frontier the more German soldiers -you will encounter, and without a passport you will be a marked man." - -I asked him to suggest a way by which I could overcome this difficulty. - -He thought for several moments and studied me closely all the -time--perhaps endeavoring to make absolutely sure that I was not a -German spy--and then, apparently deciding in my favor, told me what he -thought it was best for me to do. - -"If you will call on this man," mentioning the name of a Belgian in -----, a city through which I had to pass, he advised, "you will be able -to make arrangements with him to secure a passport, and he will do -everything he can to get you out of Belgium." - -He told me where the man in question could be found and gave me some -useful directions to continue my journey, and then he led me to the -door. I thanked him a thousand times and wanted to pay him for his -kindness and help, but he would accept nothing. He did give me his -name, and you may be sure I shall never forget it, but to mention it -here might, of course, result in serious consequences for him. When the -war is over, however, or the Germans are thrown out of Belgium, I shall -make it my duty to find that kind Belgian, if to do it I have to go -through again all that I have suffered already. - - - - -XI - -I ENCOUNTER GERMAN SOLDIERS - - -What the Belgian had told me about the need of a passport gave me fresh -cause for worry. Suppose I should run into a German sentry before I -succeeded in getting one? - -I decided that until I reached the big city which the Belgian had -mentioned--and which I cannot name for fear of identifying some of -the people there who befriended me--I would proceed with the utmost -precaution. Since I had discarded my uniform and had obtained civilian -clothes I had not been quite as careful as I was at first. While I had -done my traveling at night, I had not gone into hiding so early in the -morning as before, and I had sometimes started again before it was quite -dark, relying upon the fact that I would probably be mistaken for a -Belgian on his way to or from work, as the case might be. From now on, -I resolved, however, I would take no more chances. - -That evening I came to a river perhaps seventy-five yards wide, and I -was getting ready to swim it when I thought I would walk a little way -to find, if possible, a better place to get to the river from the bank. -I had not walked more than a few hundred feet when I saw a boat. It was -the first time I had seen a boat in all my experiences. - -It was firmly chained, but as the stakes were sunk in the soft bank it -was not much of a job to pull them out. I got in, drank to my heart's -content, shoved over to the other side, got out, drove a stake into the -ground, and moored the boat. It would have been a simple matter to have -drifted down the river, but the river was not shown on my map and I had -no idea where it might lead me. Very reluctantly, therefore, I had to -abandon the boat and proceed on foot. - -I made several miles that night and before daylight found a safe -place in which to hide for the day. From my hiding-place I could see -through the bushes a heavy thick wood only a short distance away. -I decided that I would start earlier than usual, hurry over to the -wood, and perhaps in that way I could cover two or three miles in the -daytime and gain just so much time. Traveling through the wood would be -comparatively safe. There was a railroad going through the wood, but I -did not figure that that would make it any the less safe. - -About three o'clock that afternoon, therefore, I emerged from my -hiding-place and hurried into the wood. After proceeding for half a mile -or so I came to the railroad. I took a sharp look in both directions -and, seeing no signs of trains or soldiers, I walked boldly over the -tracks and continued on my way. - -I soon came upon a clearing and knew that some one must be living in the -vicinity. As I turned a group of trees I saw a small house and in the -distance an old man working in a garden. I decided to enter the house -and ask for food, figuring the woman would probably be old and would be -no match for me even if she proved hostile. The old woman who came to -the door in response to my knock was older even than I had expected. If -she wasn't close to a hundred years, I miss my guess very much. - -She could not speak English and I could not speak Flemish, of course, -but, nevertheless, I made her understand that I wanted something to eat. -She came out of the door and hollered for her husband in a shrill voice -that would have done credit to a girl of eighteen. The old man came in -from his garden and between the two of them they managed to get the -idea that I was hungry, and they gave me a piece of bread--a very small -piece--which was quite a treat. - -The house they lived in consisted of just two rooms--the kitchen and a -bedroom. The kitchen was perhaps fourteen feet square, eight feet of -one side of it being taken up by an enormous fireplace. What was in -the bedroom I had no way of telling, as I did not dare to be too -inquisitive. - -I made the old couple understand that I would like to stay in their -house all night, but the old man shook his head. I bade them good-by and -disappeared into the woods, leaving them to speculate as to the strange -foreigner they had entertained. - -From the greater density of the population in the section through which -I was now passing I realized that I must be in the outskirts of the -big city which the Belgian had mentioned and where I was to procure a -passport. - -Village after village intercepted me, and, although I tried to skirt -them wherever possible, I realized that I would never make much progress -if I continued that course. To gain a mile I would sometimes have to -make a detour of two or three. I decided that I would try my luck in -going straight through the next village I came to. - -As I approached it I passed numbers of peasants who were ambling along -the road. I was afraid to mingle with them because it was impossible for -me to talk to them and it was dangerous to arouse suspicion even among -the Belgians. For all I knew, one of them might be treacherous enough to -deliver me to the Germans in return for the reward he might be sure of -receiving. - -About nine o'clock that evening I came to a point where ahead of me -on the right was a Belgian police station--I knew it from its red -lights--and on the other side of the street were two German soldiers in -uniform leaning against a bicycle. - -Here was a problem which called for instant decision. If I turned back, -the suspicion of the soldiers would be instantly aroused, and if I -crossed the road so as not to pass so closely to them, they might be -equally suspicious. I decided to march bravely by the Huns, bluff my -way through, and trust to Providence. If anybody imagines, however, -that I was at all comfortable as I approached those soldiers, he must -think that I am a much braver man than I claim to be. My heart beat so -loud I was afraid they would hear it. Every step I took brought me so -much nearer to what might prove to be the end of all my hopes. It was a -nerve-racking ordeal. - -I was now within a few feet of them. Another step and-- - -They didn't turn a hair! I passed right by them--heard what they were -saying, although, of course, I didn't understand it, and went right -on. I can't say I didn't walk a little faster as I left them behind, -but I tried to maintain an even gait so as not to give them any idea -of the inward exultation I was experiencing. No words can explain, -however, how relieved I really felt--to know that I had successfully -passed through the first of a series of similar tests which I realized -were in store for me--although I did not know then how soon I was to be -confronted with the second. - -As it was, however, the incident gave me a world of confidence. It -demonstrated to me that there was nothing in my appearance, at any rate, -to attract the attention of the German soldiers. Apparently I looked -like a Belgian peasant, and if I could only work things so that I would -never have to answer questions and thus give away my nationality, I -figured I would be tolerably safe. - -As I marched along I felt so happy I couldn't help humming the air of -one of the new patriotic songs that we used to sing at the aerodrome -back of Ypres. - -In this happy fame of mind I covered the next three miles in about an -hour, and then I came to another little village. My usual course would -have been to go around it--through fields, backyards, woods, or whatever -else lay in my way--but I had gained so much time by going through the -last village instead of detouring around it, and my appearance seemed to -be so unsuspicious, that I decided to try the same stunt again. - -I stopped humming and kept very much on the alert, but, apart from that, -I walked boldly through the main street without any feeling of alarm. - -I had proceeded perhaps a mile along the main street when I noticed -ahead of me three German soldiers standing at the curb. - -Again my heart started to beat fast, I must confess, but I was not -nearly so scared as I had been an hour or so before. I walked ahead, -determined to follow my previous procedure in every particular. - -I had got to about fifteen feet away from the soldiers when one of them -stepped onto the sidewalk and shouted: - -"Halt!" - -My heart stopped beating fast--for a moment, I believe, it stopped -beating altogether! I can't attempt to describe my feelings. The thought -that the jig was up, that all I had gone through and all I had escaped -would now avail me nothing, mingled with a feeling of disgust with -myself because of the foolish risk I had taken in going through the -village, combined to take all the starch out of me, and I could feel -myself wilting as the soldier advanced to the spot where I stood rooted -in my tracks. - -I had a bottle of water in one pocket and a piece of bread in the other, -and as the Hun advanced to search me I held the bottle up in one hand -and the piece of bread in the other so that he could see that was all I -had. - -It occurred to me that he would "frisk" me--that is, feel me over for -arms or other weapons, then place me under arrest and march me off to -the guard-house. I had not the slightest idea but that I was captured, -and there didn't seem to be much use in resisting, unarmed as I was and -with two other German soldiers within a few feet of us. - -Like a flash it suddenly dawned on me, however, that for all this -soldier could have known I was only a Belgian peasant and that his -object in searching me, which he proceeded to do, was to ascertain -whether I had committed the common "crime" of smuggling potatoes! - -The Belgians are allowed only a certain amount of potatoes, and it is -against the laws laid down by the Huns to deal in vegetables of any kind -except under the rigid supervision of the authorities. Nevertheless, it -was one of the principal vocations of the average poor Belgian to buy -potatoes out in the country from the peasants and then smuggle them into -the large cities and sell them clandestinely at a high price. - -To stop this traffic in potatoes the German soldiers were in the habit -of subjecting the Belgians to frequent search, and I was being held up -by this soldier for no other reason than that he thought I might be a -potato-smuggler! - -He felt of my outside clothes and pockets, and, finding no potatoes, -seemed to be quite satisfied. Had he but known who I was he could have -earned an iron cross! Or perhaps, in view of the fact that I had a heavy -water-bottle in my uplifted hand, it might have turned out to be a -_wooden_ cross! - -He said something in German, which, of course, I did not understand, -and then some Belgian peasants came along and seemed to distract his -attention. Perhaps he had said, "It's all right, you may go on," or -he may have been talking to the others in Flemish, but, at any rate, -observing that he was more interested in the others than he was in me at -the moment, I put the bottle in my pocket and walked on. - -After I walked a few steps I took a furtive glance backward and noticed -the soldier who had searched me rejoin his comrades at the curb and then -stop another fellow who had come along, and then I disappeared in the -darkness. - -I cannot say that the outcome of this adventure left me in the same -confident frame of mind that followed the earlier one. It was true I had -come out of it all right, but I could not help thinking what a terribly -close shave I had. - -Suppose the soldier had questioned me? The ruse I had been following -in my dealings with the Belgian peasants--pretending I was deaf and -dumb--might possibly have worked here, too, but a soldier--a German -soldier--might not so easily have been fooled. It was more than an even -chance that it would at least have aroused his suspicions and resulted -in further investigation. A search of my clothing would have revealed -a dozen things which would have established my identity, and all my -shamming of deafness would have availed me nothing. - -As I wandered along I knew that I was now approaching the big city which -my Belgian friend had spoken of and which I would have to enter if I was -to get the passport, and I realized now how essential it was to have -something to enable me to get through the frequent examinations to which -I expected to be subjected. - -While I was still debating in my mind whether it was going to be -possible for me to enter the city that night, I saw in the distance what -appeared to be an arc-light, and as I neared it that was what it turned -out to be. Beneath the light I could make out the forms of three guards, -and the thought of having to go through the same kind of ordeal that I -had just experienced filled me with misgivings. Was it possible that I -could be fortunate enough to get by again? - -As I slowed up a little, trying to make up my mind what was best to do, -I was overtaken by a group of Belgian women who were shuffling along -the road, and I decided to mingle with them and see if I couldn't convey -the impression that I was one of their party. - -As we approached the arc-light the figures of those three soldiers with -their spiked helmets loomed up before me like a regiment. I felt as if -I were walking right into the jaws of death. Rather than go through -what was in store for me I felt that I would infinitely prefer to be -fighting again in the air with those four desperate Huns who had been -the cause of my present plight; then, at least, I would have a chance to -fight back, but now I had to risk my life and take what was coming to me -without a chance to strike a blow in my own defense. - -I shall never forget my feelings as we came within the shaft of light -projected by that great arc-light, nor the faces of those three guards -as we passed by them. I didn't look directly at them, but out of the -corner of my eye I didn't miss a detail. I held a handkerchief up to my -face as we passed them, and endeavored to imitate the slouching gait of -the Belgians as well as I could; and apparently it worked. We walked -right by those guards and they paid absolutely no attention to us. - -If ever a fellow felt like going down on his knees and praying, I did at -that moment, but it wouldn't have done to show my elation or gratitude -in that conspicuous way. - -It was then well after eleven o'clock, and I knew it would be unsafe for -me to attempt to find a lodging-place in the city, and the only thing -for me to do was to locate the man whose name the Belgian had given me. -He had given me a good description of the street and had directed me how -to get there, and I followed his instructions closely. - -After walking the streets for about half an hour I came upon one of the -landmarks my friend had described to me, and ten minutes afterward I was -knocking at the door of the man who was to make it possible for me to -reach Holland--and liberty. At least that was what I hoped. - - - - -XII - -THE FORGED PASSPORT - - -For obvious reasons I cannot describe the man to whom I applied for -the passport, nor the house in which he lived. While, in view of what -subsequently happened, I would not be very much concerned if he got -into trouble for having dealt with me, I realize that the hardships he -had endured in common with all the other inhabitants of that conquered -city may possibly have distorted his ideas of right and justice, and I -shall not deliberately bring further disaster on him by revealing his -identity. - -This man--we will call him Huyliger, because that is as unlike his -name as it is mine--was very kind to me on that memorable night when I -aroused him from his sleep and in a few words of explanation told him of -my plight. - -He invited me inside, prepared some food for me, and, putting on a -dressing-gown, came and sat by me while I ate, listening with the -greatest interest to the short account I gave him of my adventures. - -He could speak English fluently, and he interrupted me several times to -express his sympathy for the sufferings I had endured. - -"O'Brien," he said, after I had concluded my story, "I am going to -help you. It may take several days--perhaps as long as two weeks, but -eventually we will provide the means to enable you to get into Holland!" - -I thanked him a thousand times and told him that I didn't know how I -could possibly repay him. - -"Don't think of that," he replied; "the satisfaction of knowing that I -have aided in placing one more victim of the Huns beyond their power to -harm him will more than repay me for all the risk I shall run in helping -you. You'd better turn in now, O'Brien, and in the morning I'll tell you -what I plan to do." - -He showed me to a small room on the second floor, shook hands with me, -and left me to prepare for the first real night's rest I had been able -to take in nearly two months. - -As I removed my clothes and noticed that my knees were still swollen to -twice their normal size, that my left ankle was black and blue from the -wrench I had given it when I jumped from the train, and that my ribs -showed through my skin, I realized what a lot I had been through. As a -matter of fact, I could not have weighed more than one hundred and fifty -pounds at that time, whereas I had tipped the scales at one hundred and -ninety when I was with my squadron in France. - -I lost no time in getting into bed and still less in getting to sleep. -I don't know what I dreamed of that night, but I had plenty of time to -go through the experiences of my whole life, for when I was aroused by a -knock on the door, and Huyliger came in, in response to my invitation to -enter, he told me that it was nearly noon. I had slept for nearly twelve -hours. - -I cannot say that the thought did not run through my head that perhaps, -after all, I was living in a fool's paradise, and that when Huyliger -reappeared it would be with a couple of German soldiers behind him, -but I dismissed such misgivings summarily, realizing that I was doing -Huyliger an injustice to let such things enter my head even for an -instant. I had no right to doubt his sincerity, and it would do me no -good to entertain such suspicions. If he was going to prove treacherous -to me, I was powerless, anyway, to cope with him. - -In a few moments my host appeared with a tray containing my breakfast. -I don't suppose I shall ever forget that meal. It consisted of a cup of -coffee--real coffee, not the kind I had had at Courtrai--several slices -of bread, some hot potatoes, and a dish of scrambled eggs. - -Every mouthful of that meal tasted like angel-food to me, and Huyliger -sat on the edge of the bed and watched me enjoying the meal, at the same -time outlining the plans he had made for my escape. - -In brief, the scheme was to conceal me in a convent until conditions -were ripe for me to make my way to the border. In the mean while I was -to be dressed in the garb of a priest, and when the time came for me to -leave the city I was to pretend that I was a Spanish sailor, because -I could speak a little Spanish, which I had picked up on the coast. -To attempt to play the part of a Belgian would become increasingly -difficult, he pointed out, and would bring inevitable disaster in the -event that I was called upon to speak. - -Huyliger said I would be given sufficient money to bribe the German -guards at the Dutch frontier, and he assured me that everything would -work out according to schedule. - -"Yours is not the first case, O'Brien, we have handled successfully," he -declared. "Only three weeks ago I heard from an English merchant who had -escaped from a German detention camp and come to me for assistance, and -whom I had been able to get through the lines. His message telling me of -his safe arrival in Rotterdam came to me in an indirect way, of course, -but the fact that the plans we had made carried through without mishap -makes me feel that we ought to be able to do as much for you." - -I told Huyliger I was ready to follow his instructions and would do -anything he suggested. - -"I want to rejoin my squadron as soon as I possibly can, of course," I -told him, "but I realize that it will take a certain length of time for -you to make the necessary arrangements, and I will be as patient as I -can." - -The first thing to do, Huyliger told me, was to prepare a passport. He -had a blank one and it was a comparatively simple matter to fill in the -spaces, using a genuine passport which Huyliger possessed as a sample -of the handwriting of the passport clerk. My occupation was entered as -that of a sailor. My birthplace we gave as Spain, and we put my age at -thirty. As a matter of fact, at that time I could easily have passed for -thirty-five, but we figured that with proper food and a decent place -to sleep in at night I would soon regain my normal appearance and the -passport would have to serve me, perhaps, for several weeks to come. - -Filling in the blank spaces on the passport was, as I have said, a -comparatively easy matter, but that did not begin to fill the bill. -Every genuine passport bore an official rubber stamp, something like an -elaborate postmark, and I was at a loss to know how to get over that -difficulty. - -[Illustration: THE FORGED PASSPORT PREPARED IN A BELGIAN CITY TO AID -LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN'S ESCAPE INTO HOLLAND, BUT WHICH WAS NEVER USED] - -Fortunately, however, Huyliger had half of a rubber stamp which had -evidently been thrown away by the Germans, and he planned to construct -the other half out of the cork from a wine bottle. He was very skilful -with a penknife, and although he spoiled a score or more of corks before -he succeeded in getting anything like the result he was after, the -finished article was far better than our most sanguine expectations. -Indeed, after we had pared it over here and there and removed whatever -imperfections our repeated tests disclosed, we had a stamp which made -an impression so closely resembling the original that, without a -magnifying-glass, we were sure it would have been impossible to tell -that it was a counterfeit. - -Huyliger procured a camera and took a photograph of me to paste on the -passport in the place provided for that purpose, and we then had a -passport which was entirely satisfactory to both of us and would, we -hoped, prove equally so to our friends the Huns. - -It had taken two days to fix up the passport. In the mean while, -Huyliger informed me that he had changed his plans about the convent, -and that instead he would take me to an empty house where I could remain -in safety until he told me it was advisable for me to proceed to the -frontier. - -This was quite agreeable to me, as I had had some misgivings as to the -kind of a priest I would make, and it seemed to me to be safer to remain -aloof from every one in a deserted house than to have to mingle with -people or come in contact with them even with the best of disguises. - -That night I accompanied Huyliger to a fashionable section of the city -where the house in which I was to be concealed was located. - -This house turned out to be a four-story structure of brick. Huyliger -told me that it had been occupied by a wealthy Belgian before the -war, but since 1914 it had been uninhabited save for the occasional -habitation of some refugee whom Huyliger was befriending. - -Huyliger had a key and let me in, but he did not enter the house with -me, stating that he would visit me in the morning. - -I explored the place from top to bottom as well as I could without -lights. The house was elaborately furnished, but, of course, the dust -lay a quarter of an inch thick almost everywhere. It was a large house, -containing some twenty rooms. There were two rooms in the basement, -four on the first floor, four on the second, five on the third, and -five on the top. In the days that were to come I was to have plenty of -opportunity to familiarize myself with the contents of that house, but -at the time I did not know it, and I was curious enough to want to know -just what the house contained. - -Down in the basement there was a huge pantry, but it was absolutely -bare, except of dust and dirt. A door which evidently led to a -sub-basement attracted my attention, and I thought it might be a good -idea to know just where it led in case it became necessary for me to -elude searchers. - -In that cellar I found case after case of choice wine--Huyliger -subsequently told me that there were eighteen hundred bottles of it. I -was so happy at the turn my affairs had taken and in the rosy prospects -which I now entertained that I was half inclined to indulge in a little -celebration then and there. On second thoughts, however, I remembered -the old warning of the folly of shouting before you are well out of -the woods, and I decided that it would be just as well to postpone the -festivities for a while and go to bed instead. - -In such an elaborately furnished house I had naturally conjured up ideas -of a wonderfully large bed, with thick hair mattresses, downy quilts, -and big soft pillows. Indeed, I debated for a while which particular -bedroom I should honor with my presence that night. Judge of my -disappointment, therefore, when, after visiting bedroom after bedroom, -I discovered that there wasn't a bed in any one of them that was in a -condition to sleep in. All the mattresses had been removed and the rooms -were absolutely bare of everything in the way of wool, silk, or cotton -fabrics. The Germans had apparently swept the house clean. - -There was nothing to do, therefore, but to make myself as comfortable -as I could on the floor, but as I had grown accustomed by this time -to sleeping under far less comfortable conditions I swallowed my -disappointment as cheerfully as I could and lay down for the night. - -In the morning Huyliger appeared and brought me some breakfast, and -after I had eaten it he asked me what connections I had in France or -England from whom I could obtain money. - -I told him that I banked at Cox & Co., London, and that if he needed any -money I would do anything I could to get it for him, although I did not -know just how such things could be arranged. - -"Don't worry about that, O'Brien," he replied. "We'll find a way of -getting at it, all right. What I want to know is how far you are -prepared to go to compensate me for the risks I am taking and for the -service I am rendering you." - -The change in the man's attitude stunned me. I could hardly believe my -ears. - -"Of course, I shall pay you as well as I can for what you have done, -Huyliger," I replied, trying to conceal as far as possible the -disappointment his demand had occasioned me. "But don't you think that -this is hardly the proper time or occasion to talk of compensation? All -I have on me, as you know, is a few hundred francs, and that, of course, -you are welcome to, and when I get back, if I ever do, I shall not -easily forget the kindness you have shown me. I am sure you need have no -concern about my showing my gratitude in a substantial way." - -"That's all right, O'Brien," he insisted, looking at me in a knowing -sort of way. "You may take care of me afterward, and then again you may -not. I'm not satisfied to wait. I want to be taken care of _now_!" - -"Well, what do you want me to do? How much do you expect in the way of -compensation? How can I arrange to get it to you? I am willing to do -anything that is reasonable." - -"I want ---- pounds!" he replied, and he named a figure that staggered -me. If I had been Lord Kitchener instead of just an ordinary lieutenant -in the R. F. C., he would hardly have asked a larger sum. Perhaps he -thought I was. - -"Why, my dear man," I said, smilingly, thinking that perhaps he was -joking, "you don't really mean that, do you?" - -"I certainly do, O'Brien, and what is more," he threatened, "I intend to -get every cent I have asked, and you are going to help me get it!" - -He pulled out an order calling for the payment to him of the amount he -had mentioned, and demanded that I sign it. - -I waved it aside. - -"Huyliger," I said, "you have helped me out so far, and perhaps you have -the power to help me further. I appreciate what you have done for me, -although now, I think, I see what your motive was, but I certainly don't -intend to be blackmailed, and I tell you right now that I won't stand -for it!" - -"Very well," he said. "It is just as you say. But before you make up -your mind so obstinately I would advise you to think it over. I'll be -back this evening." - -My first impulse, after the man had left, was to get out of that house -just as soon as I could. I had the passport he had prepared for me, and -I figured that even without further help from him I could now get to the -border without very much difficulty, and when I got there I would have -to use my own ingenuity to get through. - -It was evident, however, that Huyliger still had an idea that I might -change my mind with regard to the payment he had demanded, and I decided -that it would be foolish to do anything until he paid me a second visit. - -At the beginning of my dealings with Huyliger I had turned over to him -some pictures, papers, and other things that I had on me when I entered -his house, including my identification disk, and I was rather afraid -that he might refuse to return them to me. - -All day long I remained in the house without a particle of food other -than the breakfast Huyliger had brought to me. From the windows I -could see plenty to interest me and help pass the time away, but of -my experiences while in that house I shall tell in detail later on, -confining my attention now to a narration of my dealings with Huyliger. - -That night he appeared, as he had promised. - -"Well, O'Brien," he asked, as he entered the room where I was awaiting -him, "what do you say? Will you sign the order or not?" - -It had occurred to me during the day that the amount demanded was so -fabulous that I might have signed the order without any danger of -its ever being paid, but the idea of this man, who had claimed to be -befriending me, endeavoring to make capital out of my plight galled me -so that I was determined not to give in to him, whether I could do so in -safety or not. - -"No, Huyliger," I replied. "I have decided to get along as best I can -without any further assistance from you. I shall see that you are -reasonably paid for what you have done, but I will not accept any -further assistance from you at any price, and, what is more, I want -you to return to me at once all the photographs and other papers and -belongings of mine which I turned over to you a day or two ago!" - -"I'm sorry about that, O'Brien," he retorted, with a show of apparent -sincerity, "but that is something I cannot do." - -"If you don't give me back those papers at once," I replied, hotly, "I -will take steps to get them and damned quick, too!" - -"I don't know just what you could do, O'Brien," he declared, coolly, -"but as a matter of fact the papers and pictures you refer to are out of -the country. I could not give them back to you if I wanted to." - -Something told me the man was lying. - -"See here, Huyliger!" I threatened, advancing toward him, putting my -hand on his shoulder and looking him straight in the eye, "I want those -papers and I want them here before midnight to-night. If I don't get -them, I shall sleep in this place just once more, and then, at eight -o'clock to-morrow morning, I shall go to the German authorities, give -myself up, show them the passport that you fixed up for me, tell them -how I got it, and explain everything!" - -Huyliger paled. We had no lights in the house, but we were standing -near a landing at the time and the moonlight was streaming through a -stained-glass window. - -The Belgian turned on his heel and started to go down the stairs. - -"Mind you," I called after him, "I shall wait for you till the city -clock strikes twelve, and if you don't show up with those papers by that -time, the next time you will see me is when you confront me before the -German authorities! I am a desperate man, Huyliger, and I mean every -word I say!" - -He let himself out of the door and I sat on the top stair and wondered -just what he would do. Would he try to steal a march on me and get in -a first word to the authorities, so that my story would be discredited -when I put it to them? - -Of course my threat to give myself up to the Huns was a pure bluff. -While I had no desire to lose the papers which Huyliger had, and which -included the map of the last resting-place of my poor chum Raney, I -certainly had no intention of cutting off my nose to spite my chin by -surrendering to the Germans. I would have been shot, as sure as fate, -for, after all I had been able to observe behind the German lines, I -would be regarded as a spy and treated as such. - -At the same time I thought I had detected a yellow streak in Huyliger, -and I figured that he would not want to take the risk of my carrying out -my threat, even though he believed there was but a small chance of my -doing so. If I did, he would undoubtedly share my fate, and the pictures -and papers he had of mine were really of no use to him, and I have never -been able to ascertain why it was he wished to retain them unless they -contained something--some information about me--which accounted for his -complete change of attitude toward me in the first place, and he wanted -the papers as evidence to account to his superiors or associates for his -conduct toward me. - -When he first told me that the plan of placing me in a convent disguised -as a priest had been abandoned he explained it by saying that the -Cardinal had issued orders to the priests to help no more fugitives, -and I have since wondered whether there was anything in my papers which -had turned him against me and led him to forsake me after all he had -promised to do for me. - -For perhaps two hours I sat on that staircase musing about the peculiar -turn in my affairs, when the front door opened and Huyliger ascended -the stairs. - -"I have brought you such of your belongings as I still had, O'Brien," he -said, softly. "The rest, as I told you, I cannot give you. They are no -longer in my possession." - -I looked through the little bunch he handed me. It included my -identification disk, most of the papers I valued, and perhaps half of -the photographs. - -"I don't know what your object is in retaining the rest of my pictures, -Huyliger," I replied, "but, as a matter of fact, the ones that are -missing were only of sentimental value to me, and you are welcome to -them if you want them. We'll call it a heat." - -I don't know whether he understood the idiom, but he sat down on the -stairs just below me and cogitated for a few moments. - -"O'Brien," he started, finally, "I'm sorry things have gone the way -they have. I feel sorry for you and I would really like to help you. I -don't suppose you will believe me, but the matter of the order which I -asked you to sign was not of my doing. However, we won't go into that. -The proposition was made to you and you turned it down, and that's an -end of it. At the same time, I hate to leave you to your own resources -and I'm going to make one more suggestion to you for your own good. I -have another plan to get you into Holland, and if you will go with me -to another house I will introduce you to a man who I think will be in a -position to help you." - -"How many millions of pounds will he want for his trouble?" I asked, -sarcastically. - -"You can arrange that when you see him. Will you go?" - -I suspected there was something fishy about the proposition, but I felt -that I could take care of myself and decided to see the thing through. -I knew Huyliger would not dare to deliver me to the authorities because -of the fact that I had the telltale passport, which would be his -death-knell as well as my own. - -Accordingly I said I would be quite willing to go with him whenever he -was ready, and he suggested that we go the next evening. - -I pointed out to him that I was entirely without food and asked him -whether he could not arrange to bring or send me something to eat while -I remained in the house. - -"I'm sorry, O'Brien," he replied, "but I'm afraid you'll have to get -along as best you can. When I brought you your breakfast this morning I -took a desperate chance. If I had been discovered by one of the German -soldiers entering this house with food in my possession, I would not -only have paid the penalty myself, but you would have been discovered, -too. It is too dangerous a proposition. Why don't you go out by yourself -and buy your food at the stores? That would give you confidence, and -you'll need plenty of it when you continue your journey to the border." - -There was a good deal of truth in what he said, and I really could not -blame him for not wanting to take any chances to help me, in view of the -relations between us. - -"Very well," I said; "I've gone without food for many hours at a time -before and I suppose I shall be able to do so again. I shall look for -you to-morrow evening." - -The next evening he came and I accompanied him to another house not -very far from the one in which I had been staying and not unlike it in -appearance. It, too, was a substantial dwelling-house which had been -untenanted since the beginning, save perhaps for such occasional visits -as Huyliger and his associates made to it. - -Huyliger let himself in and conducted me to a room on the second floor, -where he introduced me to two men. One, I could readily see by the -resemblance, was his own brother. The other was a stranger. - -Very briefly they explained to me that they had procured another -passport for me--a genuine one--which would prove far more effective -in helping to get me to the frontier than the counterfeit one they had -manufactured for me. - -I think I saw through their game right at the start, but I listened -patiently to what they had to say. - -"Of course, you will have to return to us the passport we gave you -before we can give you the real one," said Huyliger's brother. - -"I haven't the slightest objection," I replied, "if the new passport is -all you claim for it. Will you let me see it?" - -There was considerable hesitation on the part of Huyliger's brother and -the other chap at this. - -"Why, I don't think that's necessary at all, Mr. O'Brien," said the -former. "You give us the old passport and we will be very glad to give -you the new one for it. Isn't that fair enough?" - -"It may be fair enough, my friends," I retorted, seeing that it was -useless to conceal further the fact that I was fully aware of their -whole plan and why I had been brought to this house. "It may be fair -enough, my friends," I said, "but you will get the passport that I have -here," patting my side and indicating my inside breast pocket, "only off -my dead body!" - -I suppose the three of them could have made short work of me then and -there if they had wanted to go the limit, and no one would ever have -been the wiser, but I had gone through so much and I was feeling so mean -toward the whole world just at that moment that I was determined to sell -my life as dearly as possible. - -"I have that passport here," I repeated, "and I'm going to keep it. If -you gentlemen think you can take it from me, you are welcome to try!" - -To tell the truth, I was spoiling for a fight and I half wished they -would start something. The man who had lived in the house had evidently -been a collector of ancient pottery, for the walls were lined with great -pieces of earthenware which had every earmark of possessing great value. -They certainly possessed great weight. I figured that if the worst came -to the worst that pottery would come in mighty handy. A single blow -with one of those big vases would put a man out as neatly as possible, -and as there was lots of pottery and only three men I believed I had an -excellent chance of holding my own in the combat which I had invited. - -I had already picked out in my mind what I was going to use, and I got -up, stood with my back to the wall, and told them that if they ever -figured on getting the passport, then would be their best chance. - -Apparently they realized that I meant business and they immediately -began to expostulate at the attitude I was taking. - -One of the men spoke excellent English. In fact, he told me that he -could speak five languages, and if he could lie in the others as well I -know he did in my own tongue, he was not only an accomplished linguist, -but a most versatile liar into the bargain. - -They argued and expostulated with me for some time. - -"My dear fellow," said the linguist, "it is not that we want to deprive -you of the passport. Good Heavens! if it will aid you in getting out -of the country, I wish you could have six just like it. But for our -own protection you owe it to us to proceed on your journey as best you -can without it, because as long as you have it in your possession you -jeopardize our lives, too. Don't you think it is fairer that you should -risk your own safety rather than place the lives of three innocent men -in danger?" - -"That may be as it is, my friends," I retorted, as I made my way to the -door, "and I am glad you realize your danger. Keep it in mind, for in -case any of you should happen to feel inclined to notify the German -authorities that I am in this part of the country, think it over before -you do so. Remember always that if the Germans get me, they get the -passport, too, and if they get the passport, your lives won't be worth a -damn! When I tell the history of that clever little piece of pasteboard -I will implicate all three of you, and whomever else is working with -you, and as I am an officer I rather think my word will be taken before -yours. Good night!" - -The bluff evidently worked, because I was able to get out of the city -without molestation from the Germans. - -I have never seen these men since. I hope I never shall, because I am -afraid I might be tempted to do something for which I might afterward be -sorry. - -I do not mean to imply that all Belgians are like this. I had evidently -fallen into the hands of a gang who were endeavoring to make capital -out of the misfortunes of those who were referred to them for help. In -all countries there are bad as well as good, and in a country which -has suffered so much as poor Belgium it is no wonder if some of the -survivors have lost their sense of moral perspective. - -I know the average poor peasant in Belgium would divide his scanty -rations with a needy fugitive sooner than a wealthy Belgian would dole -out a morsel from his comparatively well-stocked larder. Perhaps the -poor have less to lose than the rich if their generosity or charity is -discovered by the Huns. - -There have been many Belgians shot for helping escaped prisoners and -other fugitives, and it is not to be wondered at that they are willing -to take as few chances as possible. A man with a family, especially, -does not feel justified in helping a stranger when he knows that he and -his whole family may be shot or sent to prison for their pains. - -Although I suffered much from the attitude of Huyliger and his -associates, I suppose I ought to hold no grudge against them in view of -the unenviable predicament which they are in themselves. - - - - -XIII - -FIVE DAYS IN AN EMPTY HOUSE - - -The five days I spent in that house seemed to me like five years. During -all that time I had very little to eat--less, in fact, than I had been -getting in the fields. I did not feel it so much, perhaps, because of -the fact that I was no longer exposed to the other privations which -had helped to make my condition so wretched. I now had a good place to -sleep, at any rate, and I did not awake every half-hour or so as I had -been accustomed to do in the fields and woods, and, of course, my hunger -was not aggravated by the physical exertions which had been necessary -before. - -Nevertheless, perhaps because I had more time now to think of the hunger -pains which were gnawing at me all the time, I don't believe I was ever -so miserable as I was at that period of my adventure. I felt so mean -toward the world I would have committed murder, I think, with very -little provocation. - -German soldiers were passing the house at all hours of the day. I -watched them hour after hour from the keyhole of the door--to have shown -myself at the window was out of the question because the house in which -I was concealed was supposed to be untenanted. - -Because of the fact that I was unable to speak either Flemish or German -I could not go out and buy food, although I still had the money with -which to do it. That was one of the things that galled me--the thought -that I had the wherewithal in my jeans to buy all the food I needed, and -yet no way of getting it without endangering my liberty and life. - -At night, however, after it was dark, I would steal quietly out of the -house to see what I could pick up in the way of food. By that time, of -course, the stores were closed, but I scoured the streets, the alleys, -and the byways for scraps of food, and occasionally got up courage -enough to appeal to Belgian peasants whom I met on the streets, and in -that way I managed to keep body and soul together. - -It was quite apparent to me, however, that I was worse off in the city -than I had been in the fields, and I decided to get out of that house -just as soon as I knew definitely that Huyliger had made up his mind to -do nothing further for me. - -When I was not at the keyhole of the door I spent most of my day on the -top floor in a room which looked out on the street. By keeping well away -from the window I could see much of what was going on without being -seen myself. In my restlessness I used to walk back and forth in that -room, and I kept it up so constantly that I believe I must have worn a -path on the floor. It was nine steps from one wall to the other, and as -I had little else to amuse me I figured out one day, after I had been -pacing up and down for several hours, just how much distance I would -have covered on my way to Holland if my footsteps had been taking me in -that direction instead of just up and down that old room. I was very -much surprised that in three hours I crossed the room no less than -five thousand times and the distance covered was between nine and ten -miles. It was not very gratifying to realize that after walking all that -distance I wasn't a step nearer my goal than when I started, but I had -to do something while waiting for Huyliger to help me, and pacing up and -down was a natural outlet for my restlessness. - -While looking out of that top-floor window one day I noticed a cat on a -window-ledge of the house across the street. I had a piece of a broken -mirror which I had picked up in the house and I used to amuse myself for -an hour at a time shining it in the cat's eyes across the street. At -first the animal was annoyed by the reflection and would move away, only -to come back a few moments later. By and by, however, it seemed to get -used to the glare and wouldn't budge, no matter how strong the sunlight -was. Playing with the cat in this way was the means of my getting food a -day or two later--at a time when I was so famished that I was ready to -do almost anything to appease my hunger. - -It was about seven o'clock in the evening. I was expecting Huyliger at -eight, but I hadn't the slightest hope that he would bring me food, -as he had told me that he wouldn't take the risk of having food in his -possession when calling on me. I was standing at the window in such -a way that I could see what was going on in the street without being -observed by those who passed by, when I noticed my friend the cat coming -down the steps of the opposite house with something in his mouth. -Without considering the risks I ran, I opened the front door, ran down -the steps and across the street, and pounced on the cat before it could -get away with its supper, for that, as I had imagined, was what I had -seen in its mouth. It turned out to be a piece of stewed rabbit, which I -confiscated eagerly and took back with me to the house. - -Perhaps I felt a little sorry for the cat, but I certainly had no other -qualms about eating the animal's dinner. I was much too hungry to dwell -upon niceties, and a piece of stewed rabbit was certainly too good for -a cat to eat when a man was starving. I ate it and enjoyed it, and the -incident suggested to me a way in which I might possibly obtain food -again when all other avenues failed. - -From my place of concealment I frequently saw huge carts being pushed -through the streets gathering potato peelings, refuse of cabbage, and -similar food remnants which, in America, are considered garbage and -destroyed. In Belgium they were using this "garbage" to make their bread -out of, and while the idea may sound revolting to us, the fact is that -the Germans have brought these things down to such a science that the -bread they make in this way is really very good to eat. I know it would -have been like cake to me when I was in need of food; indeed, I would -have eaten the "garbage" direct, let alone the bread. - -Although, as I have said, I suffered greatly from hunger while occupying -this house, there were one or two things I observed through the keyhole -or from the windows which made me laugh, and some of the incidents that -occurred during my voluntary imprisonment were really rather funny. - -From the keyhole I could see, for instance, a shop window on the other -side of the street, several houses down the block. All day long German -soldiers would be passing in front of the house, and I noticed that -practically every one of them would stop in front of this store window -and look in. Occasionally a soldier on duty bent would hurry past, but -I think nine out of ten of them were sufficiently interested to spend -at least a minute, and some of them three or four minutes, gazing at -whatever was being exhibited in that window, although I noticed that it -failed to attract the Belgians. - -I have a considerable streak of curiosity in me and I couldn't help -wondering what it could be in that window which almost without exception -seemed to interest German soldiers, but failed to hold the Belgians, -and after conjuring my brains for a while on the problem I came to the -conclusion that the shop must have been a book-shop and the window -contained German magazines, which, naturally enough, would be of the -greatest interest to the Germans, but of none to the Belgians. - -At any rate, I resolved that as soon as night came I would go out and -investigate the window. When I got the answer I laughed so loud that -I was afraid for the moment I must have attracted the attention of the -neighbors, but I couldn't help it. The window was filled with huge -quantities of sausage. The store was a butcher-shop, and one of the -principal things they sold, apparently, was sausage. The display they -made, although it consisted merely of quantities of sausage piled in -the windows, certainly had plenty of "pulling" power. It "pulled" nine -Germans out of ten out of their course and indirectly it "pulled" me -right across the street. The idea of those Germans being so interested -in that window display as to stand in front of the window for two, -three, or four minutes at a time, however, certainly seemed funny to me, -and when I got back to the house I sat at the keyhole again and found -just as much interest as before in watching the Germans stop in their -tracks when they reached the window, even though I was now aware what -the attraction was. - -One of my chief occupations during those days was catching flies. I -would catch a fly, put him in a spider's web--there were plenty of -them in the old house--and sit down to wait for the spider to come -and get him. But always I pictured myself in the same predicament and -rescued the fly just as the spider was about to grab him. Several times -when things were dull I was tempted to see the tragedy through, but -perhaps the same Providence that guided me safely through all perils was -guarding, too, the destiny of those flies, for I always weakened and the -flies never did suffer from my lust for amusement. - -The house was well supplied with books--in fact, one of the choicest -libraries I think I ever saw--but they were all written either in -Flemish or in French. I could read no Flemish and very little French. -I might have made a little headway with the latter, but the books all -seemed too deep for me and I gave it up. There was one thing, though, -that I did read and re-read from beginning to end--that was a New York -_Herald_ which must have arrived just about the time war was declared. -Several things in there interested me, and particularly the baseball -scores, which I studied with as much care as a real fan possibly would -an up-to-date score. I couldn't refrain from laughing when I came to an -account of Zimmerman (of the Cubs) being benched for some spat with the -umpire, and it afforded me just as much interest three years after it -had happened--perhaps more--than some current item of worldwide interest -had at the time. - -I rummaged the house many times from cellar to garret in my search for -something to eat, but the harvest of three years of war had made any -success along that line impossible. I was like the man out on the ocean -in a boat and thirsty, with water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. - -I was tempted while in this city to go to church one Sunday, but my -better judgment told me it would be a useless risk. Of course some one -would surely say something to me, and I didn't know how many Germans -would be there, or what might happen, so I gave up that idea. - -During all the time I was concealed in this house I saw but one -automobile, and that was a German staff officer's. That same afternoon I -had one of the frights of my young life. - -I had been gazing out of the keyhole as usual when I heard coming down -the street the measured tread of German soldiers. It didn't sound like -very many, but there was no doubt in my mind that German soldiers were -marching down the street. I went up-stairs and peeked through the -window, and sure enough a squad of German infantry was coming down the -street, accompanying a military truck. I hadn't the slightest idea that -they were coming after me, but still the possibilities of the situation -gave me more or less alarm, and I considered how I could make my escape -if by any chance I was the man they were after. The idea of hiding in -the wine-cellar appealed to me as the most practical; there must have -been plenty of places among the wine kegs and cases where a man could -conceal himself, but, as a matter of fact, I did not believe that any -such contingency would arise. - -The marching soldiers came nearer. I could hear them at the next house. -In a moment I would see them pass the keyhole through which I was -looking. - -"Halt!" - -At the word of command shouted by a junior officer the squad came to -attention right in front of the house. - -I waited no longer. Running down the stairs, I flew down into the -wine-cellar, and although it was almost pitch dark--the only light -coming from a grating which led to the backyard--I soon found a -satisfactory hiding-place in the extreme rear of the cellar. I had the -presence of mind to leave the door of the wine-cellar ajar, figuring -that if the soldiers found a closed door they would be more apt to -search for a fugitive behind it than if the door were open. - -My decision to get away from the front door had been made and carried -out none too soon, for I had only just located myself between two big -wine-cases when I heard the tramp of soldiers' feet marching up the -front steps, a crash at the front door, a few hasty words of command -which I did not understand, and then the noise of scurrying feet from -room to room and such a banging and hammering and smashing and crashing -that I could not make out what was going on. - -If Huyliger had revealed my hiding-place to the Huns, as I was now -confident he had, I felt that there was little prospect of their -overlooking me. They would search the house from top to bottom and, if -necessary, raze it to the ground before they would give up the search. -To escape from the house through the backyard through the iron grating, -which I had no doubt I could force, seemed to be a logical thing to do, -but the chances were that the Huns had thrown a cordon around the entire -block before the squad was sent to the house. The Germans do these -things in an efficient manner always. They take nothing for granted. - -My one chance seemed to be to stand pat in the hope that the officer in -charge might possibly come to the conclusion that he had arrived at the -house too late--that the bird had flown. - -My position in that wine-cellar was anything but a comfortable one. Rats -and mice were scurrying across the floor, and the smashing and crashing -going on overhead was anything but promising. Evidently those soldiers -imagined that I might be hiding in the walls, for it sounded as though -they were tearing off the wainscoting, the picture-molding, and, in -fact, everything that they could tear or pull apart. - -Before very long they would finish their search up-stairs and would come -down to the basement. What they would do when they discovered the wine -I had no idea. Perhaps they would let themselves loose on it and give -me my chance. With a bottle of wine in each hand I figured I could put -up a good fight in the dark, especially as I was becoming more and more -accustomed to it and could begin to distinguish things here and there, -whereas they would be as blind as bats in the sun when they entered the -pitchy darkness of the cellar. - -Perhaps it was twenty minutes before I heard what sounded like my -death-knell to me; the soldiers were coming down the cellar steps. I -clutched a wine bottle in each hand and waited with bated breath. - -Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! In a moment they would be in the cellar proper. I -could almost hear my heart beating. The mice scurried across the floor -by the scores, frightened, no doubt, by the vibration and noise made -by the descending soldiers. Some of the creatures ran across me where -I stood between the two wine-cases, but I was too much interested in -bigger game to pay attention to mice. - -Tramp! Tramp! "Halt!" Again an order was given in German, and although I -did not understand it, I am willing to bless every word of it, because -it resulted in the soldiers turning right about face, marching up the -stairs again, through the hall, and out of the front door and away! - -I could hardly believe my ears. It seemed almost too good to be true -that they could have given up the search just as they were about to come -on their quarry, but unless my ears deceived me that was what they had -done. - -The possibility that the whole thing might be a German ruse did not -escape me, and I remained in the cellar for nearly an hour after they -had apparently departed before I ventured to move, listening intently in -the mean while for the slightest sound which would reveal the presence -of a sentry up-stairs. - -Not hearing a sound, I began to feel that they had indeed given up -the hunt, for I did not believe that a German officer would be so -considerate of his men as to try to trap me rather than carry the cellar -by force if they had the slightest idea that I was there. - -I took off my shoes and crept softly and slowly to the cellar steps, and -then step by step, placing my weight down gradually so as to prevent -the steps from creaking, I climbed to the top. The sight that met my -eyes as I glanced into the kitchen told me the whole story. The water -faucets had been ripped from the sinks, the water pipes having been torn -from the walls. Everything of brass or copper had been torn off, and gas -fixtures, cooking utensils, and everything else which contain even only -a small proportion of the metals the Germans so badly needed had been -taken from the kitchen. I walked up-stairs now with more confidence, -feeling tolerably assured that the soldiers hadn't been after me at -all, but had been merely collecting metals and other materials which -they expected an elaborate dwelling-house like the one in which I was -concealed to yield. - -Later I heard that the Germans have taken practically every ounce of -brass, copper, and wool they could lay their hands on in Belgium. -Even the brass out of pianos has been ruthlessly removed, the serious -damage done to valuable property by the removal of only an insignificant -proportion of metal never being taken into consideration. I learned, -too, that all dogs over fourteen inches high had been seized by the -Germans. This furnished lots of speculation among the Belgians as to -what use the Germans were putting the animals to, the general impression -apparently being that they were being used for food. - -This, however, seemed much less likely to me than that they were being -employed as despatch dogs in the trenches, the same as we use them on -our side of the line. They might possibly kill the dogs and use their -skins for leather and their carcasses for tallow, but I feel quite sure -that the Huns are by no means so short of food that they have to eat -dogs yet awhile. - -Indeed, I want to repeat here what I have mentioned before: if any -one has the idea that this war can be won by _starving_ the Huns, he -hasn't the slightest idea how well provided the Germans are in that -respect. They have considered their food needs in connection with their -resources for several years to come, and they have gone at it in such -a methodical, systematic way, taking into consideration every possible -contingency, that, provided there is not an absolute crop failure, there -isn't the slightest doubt in my mind that they can last for years, and -the worst of it is they are quite cocksure about it. - -It is true that the German soldiers want peace. As I watched them -through the keyhole in the door I thought how unfavorably they compared -with our men. They marched along the street without laughter, without -joking, without singing. It was quite apparent that the war is telling -on them. I don't believe I saw a single German soldier who didn't look -as if he had lost his best friend--and he probably had. - -At the same time, there is a big difference--certainly a difference of -several years--between wishing the war was over and giving up, and I -don't believe the German rank and file any more than their leaders have -the slightest idea at this time of giving up at all. - -But to return to my experiences while concealed in the house. After the -visit of the soldiers, which left the house in a wretched condition, -I decided that I would continue my journey toward the frontier, -particularly as I had got all I could out of Huyliger, or rather he had -got all he was going to get out of me. - -During my concealment in the house I made various sorties into the city -at night, and I was beginning to feel more comfortable, even when German -soldiers were about. Through the keyhole I had studied very closely -the gait of the Belgians, the slovenly droop that characterized most -of them, and their general appearance, and I felt that in my own dirty -and unshaven condition I must have looked as much like the average -poor Belgian as a man could. The only thing that was against me was my -height. I was several inches taller than even the tallest Belgians. -I had often thought that red hair would have gone well with my name, -but now, of course, I was mighty glad that I was not so endowed, for -red-haired Belgians are about as rare as German charity. - -There are many, no doubt, who will wonder why I did not get more help -than I did at this time. It is easily answered. When a man is in hourly -fear of his life and the country is full of spies, as Belgium certainly -was, he is not going to help just any one that comes along seeking aid. - -One of the Germans' most successful ways of trapping the Belgians has -been to pose as an English or French prisoner who has escaped; appeal -to them for aid; implicate as many as possible, and then turn the whole -German police force loose on them. - -As I look back now on those days I think it remarkable that I received -as much help as I did, but when people are starving under the conditions -now forced upon those unfortunate people it is a great temptation to -surrender these escaped prisoners to German authorities and receive the -handsome rewards offered for them--or for alien spies, as I was classed -at that time. - -The passport which I had described me as a Spanish sailor, but I was -very dubious about its value. If I could have spoken Spanish fluently -it might have been worth something to me, but the few words I knew of -the language would not have carried me very far if I had been confronted -with a Spanish interpreter. I decided to use the passport only as a -last resort, preferring to act the part of a deaf and dumb Belgian -peasant as far as it would carry me. - -Before I finally left the house I had a remarkable experience which I -shall remember as long as I live. - - - - -XIV - -A NIGHT OF DISSIPATION - - -During the first two days I spent with Huyliger after I had first -arrived in the big city he had told me, among other things, of a -moving-picture show in town which he said I might have a chance to see -while there. - -"It is free every night in the week except Saturdays and Sundays," he -said, "and once you are inside you would not be apt to be bothered by -any one except when they come to take your order for something to drink. -While there is no admission, patrons are expected to eat or drink while -enjoying the pictures." - -A day or two later, while walking the streets at night in search of -food, I had passed this place, and was very much tempted to go in -and spend a few hours, particularly as it would perhaps give me an -opportunity to buy something to eat, although I was at a loss to know -how I was going to ask for what I wanted. - -While trying to make up my mind whether it was safe for me to go in, I -walked half a block past the place, and when I turned back again and -reached the entrance with my mind made up that I would take the chance I -ran full tilt into a German officer who was just coming out! - -That settled all my hankerings for moving pictures that night. "Where -you came from, my friend," I figured, "there must be more like you! I -guess it is a good night for walking." - -The next day, however, in recalling the incident of the evening before, -it seemed to me that I had been rather foolish. What I needed more than -anything at that time was confidence. Before I could get to the frontier -I would have to confront German soldiers many times, because there -were more of them between this city and Holland than in any section -of the country through which I had so far traveled. Safety in these -contingencies would depend largely upon the calmness I displayed. It -wouldn't do to get all excited at the mere sight of a spiked helmet. -The Belgians, I had noticed, while careful to obey the orders of the -Huns, showed no particular fear of them, and it seemed to me the sooner -I cultivated the same feeling of indifference the better I would be able -to carry off the part I was playing. - -For this reason, I made up my mind then and there that, officers or no -officers, I would go to that show that night and sit it through, no -matter what happened. While people may think that I had decided unwisely -because of the unnecessary risk involved in the adventure, it occurred -to me that perhaps, after all, that theater was about one of the safest -places I could attend, because that was about the last place Germans -would expect to find a fugitive English officer in, even if they were -searching for one. - -As soon as evening came, therefore, I decided to go to the theater. I -fixed myself up as well as possible. I had on a fairly decent pair of -trousers which Huyliger had given me and I used a clean handkerchief as -a collar. - -With my hair brushed up and my beard trimmed as neatly as possible -with a pair of rusty scissors which I had found in the house, while -my appearance was not exactly that of a Beau Brummel, I don't think I -looked much worse than the average Belgian. In these days, the average -Belgian is very poorly dressed at best. - -I can't say I had no misgivings as I made my way to the theater; -certainly I was going there more for discipline than pleasure, but I had -made up my mind and I was going to see it through. - -The entrance to the theater or beer-garden--for it was as much one as -the other--was on the side of the building, and was reached by way of -an alley which ran along the side. Near the door was a ticket-seller's -booth, but as this was one of the free nights there was no one in the -booth. - -I marched slowly down the alley, imitating as best I could the -indifferent gait of the Belgians, and when I entered the theater I -endeavored to act as though I had been there many times before. A hasty -survey of the layout of the place was sufficient to enable me to select -my seat. It was early and there were not more than half a dozen people -in the place at that time, so that I had my choice. - -There was a raised platform, perhaps two feet high, all round the walls -of the place, except at the end where the stage was located. On this -platform tables were arranged, and there were tables on the floor proper -as well. - -I decided promptly that the safest place for me was as far back as -possible where I would not be in the line of vision of others in back -of me. Accordingly, I slouched over to a table on the platform directly -opposite the stage and I took the seat against the wall. The whole place -was now in front of me. I could see everything that was going on and -every one who came in, but no one, except those who sat at my own table, -would notice me unless they deliberately turned around to look. - -The place began to fill up rapidly. Every second person who came in the -door seemed to me to be a German soldier, but when they were seated at -the tables and I got a chance later on to make a rough count, I found -that in all there were not more than a hundred soldiers in the place -and there must have been several hundred civilians. - -The first people to sit at my table were a Belgian and his wife. The -Belgian sat next to me and his wife next to him. I was hoping that other -civilians would occupy the remaining two seats at my table because I -did not relish the idea of having to sit through the show with German -soldiers within a few feet of me. That would certainly have spoiled my -pleasure for the evening. - -Every uniform that came in the door gave me cause to worry until I -was sure it was not coming in my direction. I don't suppose there was -a single soldier who came in the door whom I didn't follow to his -seat--with my eyes. - -Just before they lowered the lights two German officers came in the -door. They stood there for a moment looking the place over. Then they -made a bee-line in my direction, and I must confess my heart started to -beat a little faster. I hoped that they would find another seat before -they came to my vicinity, but they were getting nearer and nearer, and I -realized with a sickening sensation that they were headed directly for -the two seats at my table, and that was indeed the case. - -These two seats were in front of the table, facing the stage, and except -when they would be eating or drinking their backs were toward me, and -there was considerable consolation in that. From my seat I could have -reached right over and touched one of them on his bald head. It would -have been more than a touch, I am afraid, if I could have got away with -it safely. - -As the officers seated themselves a waiter came to us with a printed -bill of fare and a program. Fortunately, he waited on the others first, -and I listened intently to their orders. The officers ordered some -light wine, but my Belgian neighbor ordered "Bock" for himself and his -wife, which was what I had decided to order, anyway, as that was the -only thing I could say. Heaven knows I would far rather have ordered -something to eat, but the bill of fare meant nothing to me, and I was -afraid to take a chance at the pronunciation of the dishes it set forth. - -There were a number of drinks listed which I suppose I might safely -enough have ordered. For instance, I noticed "Lemon Squash, 1.50," -"Ginger Beer, 1-," "Sparkling Dry Ginger Ale, 1-," "Apollinaris, 1-," -and "Schweppes Soda, 0.80," but it occurred to me that the mere fact -that I selected something that was listed in English might attract -attention to me and something in my pronunciation might give further -cause for suspicion. - -It seemed better to parrot the Belgian and order "Bock," and that was -what I decided to do. - -One item on the bill of fare tantalized me considerably. Although it was -listed among the "Prizzen der dranken," which I took to mean "Prices of -drinks," it sounded very much to me like something to eat, and Heaven -knows I would rather have had one honest mouthful of food than all the -drinks in the world. The item I refer to was "Dubbel Gersten de Flesch -(Michaux)." A _double_ portion of anything would have been mighty -welcome to me, but I would have been quite contented with a _single_ -"Gersten"--whatever that might happen to be--if I had only had the -courage to ask for it. - -To keep myself as composed as possible, I devoted a lot of attention -to that bill of fare, and I think by the time the waiter came around -I almost knew it by heart. One drink that almost made me laugh out -loud was listed as "Lemonades Gazeuses," but I might just as well have -introduced myself to the German officers by my right name and rank as to -have attempted to pronounce it. - -When the waiter came to me, therefore, I said "Bock" as casually as I -could, and felt somewhat relieved that I got through this part of the -ordeal so easily. - -While the waiter was away I had a chance to examine the bill of fare, -and I observed that a glass of beer cost eighty centimes. The smallest -change I had was a two-mark paper bill. - -Apparently the German officers were similarly fixed, and when they -offered their bill to the waiter he handed it back to them with a remark -which I took to mean that he couldn't make change. - -Right there I was in a quandary. To offer him my bill after he had just -told the officers he didn't have change would have seemed strange, and -yet I couldn't explain to him that I was in the same boat and he would -have to come to me again later. The only thing to do, therefore, was to -offer him the bill as though I hadn't heard or noticed what had happened -with the Germans, and I did so. He said the same thing to me as he had -said to the officers, perhaps a little more sharply, and gave me back -the bill. Later on he returned to the table with a handful of change and -we closed the transaction. I gave him twenty-five centimes as a tip--I -had never yet been in a place where it was necessary to talk to do that. - -During my first half-hour in that theater, to say I was on pins and -needles is to express my feelings mildly. The truth of the matter is -I was never so uneasy in my life. Every minute seemed like an hour, -and I was on the point of getting up and leaving a dozen times. There -were altogether too many soldiers in the place to suit me, and when the -German officers seated themselves right at my table I thought that was -about all I could stand. As it was, however, the lights went out shortly -afterward and in the dark I felt considerably easier. - -After the first picture, when the lights went up again, I had regained -my composure considerably and I took advantage of the opportunity to -study the various types of people in the place. - -From my seat I had a splendid chance to see them all. At one table there -was a German medical corps officer with three Red Cross nurses. That -was the only time I had ever seen a German nurse, for when I was in the -hospital I had seen only men orderlies. Nurses don't work so near the -first-line trenches. - -The German soldiers at the different tables were very quiet and orderly. -They drank Bock beer and conversed among themselves, but there was no -hilarity or rough-housing of any kind. - -As I sat there, within an arm's reach of those German officers and -realized what they would have given to know what a chance they had to -capture an escaped British officer, I could hardly help smiling to -myself, but when I thought of the big risk I was taking, more or less -unnecessarily, I began to wonder whether I had not acted foolishly in -undertaking it. - -Nevertheless, the evening passed off uneventfully, and when the show -was over I mixed with the crowd and disappeared, feeling very proud of -myself and with a good deal more confidence than I had enjoyed at the -start. - -I had passed a night which will live in my life as long as I live. The -bill of fare, program, and a "throw-away" bill advertising the name of -the attraction which was to be presented the following week, which was -handed to me as I came out, I still have and they are among the most -valued souvenirs of my adventure. - - - - -XV - -OBSERVATIONS IN A BELGIAN CITY - - -One night, shortly before I left this city, our airmen raided the place. -I didn't venture out of the house at the time, but the next night I -thought I would go out and see what damage had been done. - -When it became dark I left the house, accordingly, and, mixing with the -crowd, which consisted largely of Germans, I went from one place to -another to see what our "strafing" had accomplished. Naturally I avoided -speaking to any one. If a man or woman appeared about to speak to me, I -just turned my head and looked or walked away in some other direction. -I must have been taken for an unsociable sort of individual a good many -times, and if I had encountered the same person twice I suppose my -conduct might have aroused suspicion. - -I had a first-class observation of the damage that was really done by -our bombs. One bomb had landed very near the main railroad station, and -if it had been only thirty yards nearer would have completely demolished -it. As the station was undoubtedly our airman's objective, I was very -much impressed with the accuracy of his aim. It is by no means an easy -thing to hit a building from the air when you are going at anywhere from -fifty to one hundred miles an hour and are being shot at from beneath -from a dozen different angles--unless, of course, you are taking one of -those desperate chances and flying so low that you cannot very well miss -your mark, and the Huns can't very well miss you, either! - -I walked by the station and mingled with the crowds which stood in the -entrances. They paid no more attention to me than they did to real -Belgians, and the fact that the lights were all out in this city at -night made it impossible, anyway, for any one to get as good a look at -me as if it had been light. - -During the time that I was in this city I suppose I wandered from one -end of it to the other. In one place, where the German staff had its -headquarters, a huge German flag hung from the window, and I think I -would have given ten years of my life to have stolen it. Even if I could -have pulled it down, however, it would have been impossible for me to -have concealed it, and to have carried it away with me as a souvenir -would have been out of the question. - -As I went along the street one night a lady standing on the comer -stopped me and spoke to me. My first impulse, of course, was to answer -her, explaining that I could not understand, but I stopped myself in -time, pointed to my ears and mouth, and shook my head, indicating that -I was deaf and dumb, and she nodded understandingly and walked on. -Incidents of this kind were not unusual, and I was always in fear that -the time would come when some inquisitive and suspicious German would -encounter me and not be so easily satisfied. - -There are many things that I saw in this city which, for various -reasons, it is impossible for me to relate until after the war is over. -Some of them, I think, will create more surprise than the incidents I -am free to reveal now. - -It used to amuse me, as I went along the streets of this town, looking -in the shop windows, with German soldiers at my side looking at the same -things, to think how close I was to them and they had no way of knowing. -I was quite convinced that if I were discovered my fate would have been -death, because I not only had the forged passport on me, but I had been -so many days behind the German lines after I had escaped that they -couldn't safely let me live with the information I possessed. - -One night I walked boldly across a park. I heard footsteps behind me -and, turning around, saw two German soldiers. I slowed up a trifle to -let them get ahead of me. It was rather dark and I got a chance to see -what a wonderful uniform the German military authorities have picked -out. The soldiers had not gone more than a few feet ahead of me when -they disappeared in the darkness like one of those melting pictures on -the moving-picture screen. - -As I wandered through the streets I frequently glanced in the café -windows as I passed. German officers were usually dining there, but -they didn't conduct themselves with anything like the light-heartedness -which characterizes the Allied officers in London and Paris. I was -rather surprised at this, because in this part of Belgium they were much -freer than they would have been in Berlin, where, I understand, food is -comparatively scarce and the restrictions are very rigid. - -As I have said, my own condition in this city was in some respects worse -than it had been when I was making my way through the open country. -While I had a place to sleep and my clothes were no longer constantly -soaking, my opportunities for getting food were considerably less than -they had been. Nearly all the time I was half famished, and I decided -that I would get out of there at once, since I was entirely through with -Huyliger. - -My physical condition was greatly improved. While the lack of food -showed itself on me, I had regained some of my strength, my wounds -were healed, my ankle was stronger, and, although my knees were still -considerably enlarged, I felt that I was in better shape than I had been -at any time since my leap from the train, and I was ready to go through -whatever was in store for me. - - - - -XVI - -I APPROACH THE FRONTIER - - -To get out of the city it would be necessary to pass two guards. This -I had learned in the course of my walks at night, having frequently -traveled to the city limits with the idea of finding out just what -conditions I would have to meet when the time came for me to leave. - -A German soldier's uniform, however, no longer worried me as it had at -first. I had mingled with the Huns so much in the city that I began to -feel that I was really a Belgian, and I assumed the indifference that -the latter seemed to feel. - -I decided, therefore, to walk out of the city in the daytime when the -sentries would be less apt to be on the watch. It worked splendidly. I -was not held up a moment, the sentries evidently taking me for a Belgian -peasant on his way to work. - -Traveling faster than I had ever done before since my escape, I was soon -out in the open country, and the first Belgian I came to I approached -for food. He gave me half his lunch and we sat down on the side of the -road to eat it. Of course, he tried to talk to me, but I used the old -ruse of pretending I was deaf and dumb and he was quite convinced that -it was so. He made various efforts to talk to me in pantomime, but I -could not make out what he was getting at, and I think he must have -concluded that I was not only half-starved, deaf, and dumb, but "luny" -into the bargain. - -When night came I looked around for a place to rest. I had decided to -travel in the daytime as well as night, because I understood that I was -only a few miles from the frontier, and I was naturally anxious to get -there at the earliest possible moment, although I realized that there I -would encounter the most hazardous part of my whole adventure. To get -through that heavily guarded barbed and electrically charged barrier was -a problem that I hated to think of, even, although the hours I spent -endeavoring to devise some way of outwitting the Huns were many. - -It had occurred to me, for instance, that it would not be such a -difficult matter to vault over the electric fence, which was only -nine feet high. In college, I know, a ten-foot vault is considered a -high-school boy's accomplishment, but there were two great difficulties -in the way of this solution. In the first place, it would be no easy -matter to get a pole of the right length, weight, and strength to serve -the purpose. More particularly, however, the pole-vault idea seemed to -be out of the question because of the fact that on either side of the -electric fence, six feet from it, was a six-foot barbed-wire barrier. To -vault safely over a nine-foot electrically charged fence was one thing, -but to combine with it a twelve-foot broad vault was a feat which even a -college athlete in the pink of condition would be apt to flunk. Indeed, -I don't believe it is possible. - -Another plan that seemed half-way reasonable was to build a pair of -stilts about twelve or fourteen feet high and walk over the barriers -one by one. As a youngster I had acquired considerable skill in -stilt-walking, and I have no doubt that with the proper equipment it -would have been quite feasible to have walked out of Belgium as easily -as possible in that way, but whether or not I was going to have a chance -to construct the necessary stilts remained to be seen. - -There were a good many bicycles in use by the German soldiers in -Belgium, and it had often occurred to me that if I could have stolen -one, the tires would have made excellent gloves and insulated coverings -for my feet in case it was necessary for me to attempt to climb over the -electric fence bodily. But as I had never been able to steal a bicycle, -this avenue of escape was closed to me. - -I decided to wait until I arrived at the barrier and then make up my -mind how to proceed. - -To find a decent place to sleep that night I crawled under a barbed-wire -fence, thinking it led into some field. As I passed under, one of the -barbs caught in my coat, and in trying to pull myself free I shook the -fence for several yards. - -Instantly there came out of the night the nerve-racking command, "Halt!" - -Again I feared I was done for. I crouched close down on the ground in -the darkness, not knowing whether to take to my legs and trust to the -Hun's missing me in the darkness if he fired, or stay right where I was. -It was foggy as well as dark, and although I knew the sentry was only a -few feet away from me I decided to stand, or rather lie still. I think -my heart made almost as much noise as the rattling of the wire in the -first place, but it was a tense few moments for me. - -I heard the German say a few words to himself, but didn't understand -them, of course, and then he made a sound as if to call a dog, and I -realized that his theory of the noise he had heard was that a dog had -made its way through the fence. - -For perhaps five minutes I didn't stir, and then, figuring that the -German had probably continued on his beat, I crept quietly under -the wire again, this time being mighty careful to hug the ground so -close that I wouldn't touch the wire, and made off in a different -direction. Evidently the barbed-wire fence had been thrown around an -ammunition-depot or something of the kind and it was not a field at all -that I had tried to get into. - -I figured that other sentries were probably in the neighborhood and I -proceeded very gingerly. - -After I had got about a mile away from this spot I came to a humble -Belgian house, and I knocked at the door and applied for food in my -usual way, pointing to my mouth to indicate I was hungry and to my ears -and mouth to imply that I was deaf and dumb. The Belgian woman who lived -in the house brought me a piece of bread and two cold potatoes, and as I -sat there eating them she eyed me very keenly. - -I haven't the slightest doubt that she realized I was a fugitive. -She lived so near the border that it was more than likely that other -fugitives had come to her before, and for that reason I appreciated more -fully the extent of the risk she ran, for no doubt the Germans were -constantly watching the conduct of these Belgians who lived near the -line. - -My theory that she realized that I was not a Belgian at all, but -probably some English fugitive, was confirmed a moment later when, as -I made ready to go, she touched me on the arm and indicated that I was -to wait a moment. She went to a bureau and brought out two pieces of -fancy Belgian lace, which she insisted upon my taking away, although at -that particular moment I had as much use for Belgian lace as an elephant -has for a safety-razor, but I was touched with her thoughtfulness and -pressed her hand to show my gratitude. She would not accept the money I -offered her. - -I carried that lace through my subsequent experiences, feeling that it -would be a fine souvenir for my mother, although, as a matter of fact, -if she had known that it was going to delay my final escape for even a -single moment, as it did, I am quite sure she would rather I had never -seen it. - -On one piece of lace was the Flemish word "_Charité_" and on the -other the word "_Espérance_." At the time, I took these words to mean -"Charity" and "Experience," and all I hoped was that I would get as -much of the one as I was getting of the other before I finally got -through. I learned subsequently that what the words really stood for was -"Charity" and "Hope," and then I was sure that my kind Belgian friend -had indeed realized my plight and that her thoughtful souvenir was -intended to encourage me in the trials she must have known were before -me. - -I didn't let the old Belgian lady know, because I did not want to alarm -her unnecessarily, but that night I slept in her backyard, leaving early -in the morning before it became light. - -Later in the day I applied at another house for food. It was occupied -by a father and mother and ten children. I hesitated to ask them for -food without offering to pay for it, as I realized what a task it must -have been for them to support themselves without having to feed a hungry -man. Accordingly, I gave the man a mark and then indicated that I wanted -something to eat. They were just about to eat, themselves, apparently, -and they let me partake of their meal, which consisted of a huge bowl of -some kind of soup which I was unable to identify and which they served -in ordinary wash-basins! I don't know that they ever used the basins to -wash in as well, but whether they did or not did not worry me very much. -The soup was good and I enjoyed it very much. - -All the time I was there I could see the father and the eldest son, a -boy about seventeen, were extremely nervous. I had indicated to them -that I was deaf and dumb, but if they believed me it didn't seem to make -them any more comfortable. - -I lingered at the house for about an hour after the meal, and during -that time a young man came to call on the eldest daughter, a young woman -of perhaps eighteen. The caller eyed me very suspiciously, although -I must have resembled anything but a British officer. They spoke in -Flemish and I did not understand a word they said, but I think they were -discussing my probable identity. During their conversation, I had a -chance to look around the rooms. There were three altogether, two fairly -large and one somewhat smaller, about fourteen feet long and six deep. -In this smaller room there were two double-decked beds, which were -apparently intended to house the whole family, although how the whole -twelve of them could sleep in that one room will ever remain a mystery -to me. - -From the kitchen you could walk directly into the cow-barn, where two -cows were kept, and this, as I have pointed out before, is the usual -construction of the poorer Belgian houses. - -I could not make out why the caller seemed to be so antagonistic to me, -and yet I am sure he was arguing with the family against me. Perhaps -the fact that I wasn't wearing wooden shoes--I doubt whether I could -have obtained a pair big enough for me--had convinced him that I was not -really a Belgian, because there was nothing about me otherwise which -could have given him that idea. - -At that time--and I suppose it is true to-day--about ninety per cent. of -the people in Belgium were wearing wooden shoes. Among the peasants I -don't believe I ever saw any other kind of footwear, and they are more -common there than they are in Holland. The Dutch wear them more as a -matter of custom. In Belgium they are a dire necessity because of the -lack of leather. I was told that during the coming year practically all -the peasants and poorer people in Germany, too, will adopt wooden shoes -for farm-work, as that is one direction in which wood can be substituted -for leather without much loss. - -When the young man left I left shortly afterward, as I was not at all -comfortable about what his intentions were regarding me. For all I knew, -he might have gone to notify the German authorities that there was a -strange man in the vicinity--more, perhaps, to protect his friends from -suspicion of having aided me than to injure me. - -At any rate, I was not going to take any chances and I got out of that -neighborhood as rapidly as I could. - -That night found me right on the frontier of Holland. - - - - -XVII - -GETTING THROUGH THE LINES - - -Waiting until it was quite dark, I made my way carefully through a field -and eventually came to the much-dreaded barrier. - -It was all that I had heard about it. Every foot of the border-line -between Belgium and Holland is protected in precisely the same manner. -It is there to serve three purposes: first, to keep the Belgians from -escaping into Holland; second, to keep enemies, like myself, from -making their way to freedom; and, third, to prevent desertions on the -part of Germans themselves. One look at it was enough to convince any -one that it probably accomplished all three objects about as well as -any contrivance could, and one look was all I got of it that night, -for while I lay on my stomach gazing at the forbidding structure I -heard the measured stride of a German sentry advancing toward me, and I -crawled away as fast as I possibly could, determined to spend the night -somewhere in the fields and make another and more careful survey the -following night. - -The view I had obtained, however, was sufficient to convince me that -the pole-vault idea was out of the question even if I had a pole -and were a proficient pole-vaulter. The three fences covered a span -of at least twelve feet, and to clear the last barbed-wire fence it -would be necessary to vault not only at least ten feet high, but at -least fourteen feet wide, with certain knowledge that to touch the -electrically charged fence meant instant death. There would be no second -chance if you came a cropper the first time. - -The stilt idea was also impracticable because of the lack of suitable -timber and tools with which to construct the stilts. - -It seemed to me that the best thing to do was to travel up and down -the line a bit in the hope that some spot might be discovered where -conditions were more favorable, although I don't know just what I -expected along those lines. - -It was mighty disheartening to realize that only a few feet away lay -certain liberty and that the only thing that prevented me from reaching -it were three confounded fences. I thought of my machine and wished that -some kind fairy would set it in front of me for just one minute. - -I spent the night in a clump of bushes and kept in hiding most of the -next day, only going abroad for an hour or two in the middle of the -day to intercept some Belgian peasant and beg for food. The Belgians -in this section were naturally very much afraid of the Germans, and I -fared badly. In nearly every house German soldiers were quartered, and -it was out of the question for me to apply for food in that direction. -The proximity of the border made every one eye one another with more or -less suspicion, and I soon came to the conclusion that the safest thing -I could do was to live on raw vegetables, which I could steal from the -fields at night as I had previously done. - -That night I made another survey of the barrier in that vicinity, but it -looked just as hopeless as it had the night before, and I concluded that -I only wasted time there. - -I spent the night wandering west, guided by the North Star, which had -served me so faithfully in all my traveling. Every mile or two I would -make my way carefully to the barrier to see if conditions were any -better, but it seemed to be the same all along. I felt like a wild -animal in a cage, with about as much chance of getting out. - -The section of the country in which I was now wandering was very heavily -wooded and there was really no very great difficulty in keeping myself -concealed, which I did all day long, striving all the time to think of -some way in which I could circumvent that cursed barrier. - -The idea of a huge step-ladder occurred to me, but I searched hour after -hour in vain for lumber or fallen trees out of which I could construct -one. If I could only obtain something which would enable me to reach a -point about nine feet in the air, it would be a comparatively simple -matter to jump from that point over the electric fence. - -Then I thought that perhaps I could construct a simple ladder and lean -it against one of the posts upon which the electric wires were strung, -climb to the top and leap over, getting over the barbed-wire fences in -the same way. - -This seemed to be the most likely plan, and all night long I sat -constructing a ladder for this purpose. - -I was fortunate enough to find a number of fallen pine-trees from ten -to twenty feet long. I selected two of them which seemed sufficiently -strong and broke off all the branches, which I used as rungs, tying them -to the poles with grass and strips from my handkerchief and shirt as -best I could. - -It was not a very workmanlike-looking ladder when I finally got -through with it. I leaned it against a tree to test it and it wabbled -considerably. It was more like a rope ladder than a wooden one, but I -strengthened it here and there and decided that it would probably serve -the purpose. - -I kept the ladder in the woods all day and could hardly wait until dark -to make the supreme test. If it proved successful, my troubles were -over; within a few hours I would be in a neutral country out of all -danger. If it failed--I dismissed the idea summarily. There was no use -worrying about failure; the thing to do was to succeed. - -The few hours that were to pass before night came on seemed endless, but -I utilized them to reinforce my ladder, tying the rungs more securely -with long grass which I plucked in the woods. - -At last night came, and with my ladder in hand I made for the barrier. -In front of it there was a cleared space of about one hundred yards, -which had been prepared to make the work of the guards easier in -watching it. - -I waited in the neighborhood until I heard the sentry pass the spot -where I was in hiding, and then I hurried across the clearing, shoved my -ladder under the barbed wire, and endeavored to follow it. My clothing -caught in the wire, but I wrenched myself clear and crawled to the -electric barrier. - -My plan was to place the ladder against one of the posts, climb up to -the top, and then jump. There would be a fall of nine or ten feet, and I -might possibly sprain my ankle or break my leg, but if that was all that -stood between me and freedom I wasn't going to stop to consider it. - -I put my ear to the ground to listen for the coming of the sentry. There -was not a sound. Eagerly but carefully I placed the ladder against the -post and started up. Only a few feet separated me from liberty, and my -heart beat fast. - -I had climbed perhaps three rungs of my ladder when I became aware of an -unlooked-for difficulty. - -The ladder was slipping! - -Just as I took the next rung the ladder slipped, came in contact with -the live wire, and the current passed through the wet sticks and into my -body. There was a blue flash, my hold on the ladder relaxed, and I fell -heavily to the ground unconscious! - -Of course, I had not received the full force of the current or I would -not now be here. I must have remained unconscious for a few moments, but -I came to just in time to hear the German guard coming, and the thought -came to me that if I didn't get that ladder concealed at once, he would -see it even though, fortunately for me, it was an unusually dark night. - -I pulled the ladder out of his path and lay down flat on the ground, -not seven feet away from his beat. He passed so close that I could have -pushed the ladder out and tripped him up. - -It occurred to me that I could have climbed back under the barbed-wire -fence and waited for the sentry to return and then felled him with a -blow on the head, as he had no idea, of course, that there was any one -in the vicinity. I wouldn't have hesitated to take life, because my only -thought now was to get into Holland, but I thought that as long as he -didn't bother me perhaps the safest thing to do was not to bother him, -but to continue my efforts during his periodic absences. - -His beat at this point was apparently fairly long and allowed me more -time to work than I had hoped for. - -My mishap with the ladder had convinced me that escape in that way was -not feasible. The shock that I had received had unnerved me and I was -afraid to risk it again, particularly as I realized that I had fared -more fortunately than I could hope to again if I met with a similar -mishap. There was no way of making that ladder hold, and I gave up the -idea of using it. - -I was now right in front of this electric barrier, and as I studied it I -saw another way of getting by. If I couldn't get over it, what was the -matter with getting under it? - -The bottom wire was only two inches from the ground, and, of course, I -couldn't touch it, but my plan was to dig underneath it and then crawl -through the hole in the ground. - -I had only my hands to dig with, but I went at it with a will, and -fortunately the ground was not very hard. - -When I had dug about six inches, making a distance in all of eight -inches from the lowest electric wire, I came to an underground wire. I -knew enough about electricity to realize that this wire could not be -charged, as it was in contact with the ground, but still there was not -room between the live wire and this underground wire for me to crawl -through, and I either had to go on digging deep enough under this wire -to crawl under it or else pull it up. - -This underground wire was about as big around as a lead-pencil and there -was no chance of breaking it. The jack-knife I had had at the start of -my travels I had long since lost, and even if I had had something to -hammer with, the noise would have made that method impracticable. - -I went on digging. When the total distance between the live wire and the -bottom of the hole I had dug was thirty inches I took hold of the ground -wire and pulled on it with all my strength. - -It wouldn't budge. It was stretched taut across the narrow ditch I had -dug--about fourteen inches wide--and all my tugging didn't serve to -loosen it. - -I was just about to give it up in despair when a staple gave way in the -nearest post. This enabled me to pull the wire through the ground a -little, and I renewed my efforts. After a moment or two of pulling as I -had never pulled in my life before a staple on the next post gave way, -and my work became easier. I had more leeway now and pulled and pulled -again until in all eight staples had given way. - -Every time a staple gave way it sounded in my ears like the report -of a gun, although I suppose it didn't really make very much noise. -Nevertheless, each time I would put my ear to the ground to listen for -the guard, and, not hearing him, went on with my work. - -By pulling on the wire I was now able to drag it through the ground -enough to place it back from the fence and go on digging. - -The deeper I went the harder became the work, because by this time my -finger-nails were broken and I was nervous--afraid every moment that I -would touch the charged wire. - -I kept at it, however, with my mind constantly on the hole I was digging -and the liberty which was almost within my reach. - -Finally I figured that I had enough space to crawl through and still -leave a couple of inches between my back and the live wire. - -Before I went under that wire I noticed that the lace which the Belgian -woman had given me as a souvenir made my pocket bulge, and lest it might -be the innocent means of electrocuting me by touching the live wire, I -took it out, rolled it up, and threw it over the barrier. - -Then I lay down on my stomach and crawled or rather writhed under the -wire like a snake, with my feet first, and there wasn't any question of -my hugging Mother Earth as closely as possible, because I realized that -even to touch the wire above me with my back meant instant death. - -Anxious as I was to get on the other side, I didn't hurry this -operation. I feared that there might be some little detail that I had -overlooked, and I exercised the greatest possible care in going under, -taking nothing for granted. - -When I finally got through and straightened up there were still several -feet of Belgium between me and liberty, represented by the six feet -which separated the electric barrier from the last barbed-wire fence, -but before I went another step I went down on my knees and thanked God -for my long series of escapes and especially for this last achievement, -which seemed to me to be about all that was necessary to bring me -freedom. - -Then I crawled under the barbed-wire fence and breathed the free air -of Holland! I had no clear idea just where I was, and I didn't much -care. I was out of the power of the Germans, and that was enough. I had -walked perhaps a hundred yards when I remembered the lace I had thrown -over the barrier, and, dangerous as I realized the undertaking to be, I -determined to walk back and get it. This necessitated my going back on -to Belgian soil again, but it seemed a shame to leave the lace there, -and by exercising a little care I figured I could get it easily enough. - -When I came to the spot at which I had made my way under the barbed wire -I put my ear to the ground and listened for the sentry. I heard him -coming and lay prone on the ground till he had passed. The fact that he -might observe the hole in the ground or the ladder occurred to me as I -lay there, and it seemed like an age before he finally marched out of -earshot. Then I went under the barbed wire again, retrieved the lace, -and once again made my way to Dutch territory. - -It does not take long to describe the events just referred to, but the -incidents themselves consumed several hours in all. To dig the hole -must have taken me more than two hours, and I had to stop frequently -to hide while the sentry passed. Many times, indeed, I thought I heard -him coming and stopped my work, and then discovered that it was only -my imagination. I certainly suffered enough that night to last me a -lifetime. With a German guard on one side, death from electrocution -on the other, and starvation staring me in the face, my plight was -anything but a comfortable one. - -It was the 19th of November, 1917, when I got through the wires. I had -made my leap from the train on September 9th. Altogether, therefore, -just seventy-two days had elapsed since I escaped from the Huns. If I -live to be as old as Methuselah, I never expect to live through another -seventy-two days so crammed full of incident and hazard and lucky -escapes. - - - - -XVIII - -EXPERIENCES IN HOLLAND - - -But I was not yet quite out of the woods. - -I now knew that I was in Holland, but just where I had no idea. I walked -for about thirty minutes and came to a path leading to the right, and I -had proceeded along it but a few hundred yards when I saw in front of me -a fence exactly like the one I had crossed. - -"This is funny," I said to myself. "I didn't know the Dutch had a fence, -too." I advanced to the fence and examined it closely, and judge of my -astonishment when I saw beyond it a nine-foot fence apparently holding -live wires exactly like the one which had nearly been the death of me! - -I had very little time to conjecture what it all meant, for just then I -heard a guard coming. He was walking so fast that I was sure it was a -Dutch sentry, as the Huns walk much more slowly. - -I was so bewildered, however, that I decided to take no chances, and -as the road was fairly good I wandered down it and away from that -mysterious fence. About half a mile down I could see the light of a -sentry station, and I thought I would go there and tell my story to the -sentries, realizing that as I was unarmed it was perfectly safe for me -to announce myself to the Dutch authorities. I could be interned only if -I entered Holland under arms. - -As I approached the sentry box I noticed three men in gray uniforms, -the regulation Dutch color. I was on the verge of shouting to them when -the thought struck me that there was just a chance I might be mistaken, -as the German uniforms were the same color, and I had suffered too many -privations and too many narrow escapes to lose all at this time. - -I had just turned off the road to go back into some bushes when out of -the darkness I heard that dread German command: - -"Halt! Halt!" - -He didn't need to holler twice. I heard and heeded the first time. Then -I heard another man come running up, and there was considerable talking, -but whether they were Germans or Hollanders I was still uncertain. -Evidently, however, he thought the noise must be a dog or the wind. - -Finally I heard one of them laugh and heard him walk back to the sentry -station where the guard was billeted, and I crawled a little nearer to -try to make out just what it all meant. I had begun to think it was all -a nightmare. - -Between myself and the light in the sentry station I then noticed the -stooping figure of a man bending over as if to conceal himself, and on -his head was the spiked helmet of a German soldier! - -I knew then what another narrow escape I had had, for I am quite sure -he would have shot me without ceremony if I had foolishly made myself -known. I would have been buried at once and no one would have been any -the wiser, even though, technically speaking, I was on neutral territory -and immune from capture or attack. - -This new shock only served to bewilder me the more. I was completely -lost. There seemed to be frontier behind me and frontier in front of -me. Evidently, however, what had happened was that I had lost my sense -of direction and had wandered in the arc of a circle, returning to the -same fence that I had been so long in getting through. This solution of -the mystery came to me suddenly, and I at once searched the landscape -for something in the way of a landmark to guide me. For once my faithful -friend, the North Star, had failed me. The sky was pitch black and there -wasn't a star in the heavens. - -In the distance, at what appeared to be about three miles away, but -which turned out to be six, I could discern the lights of a village, and -I knew that it must be a Dutch village, as lights are not allowed in -Belgium in that indiscriminate way. - -My course was now clear. I would make a bee-line for that village. -Before I had gone very far I found myself in a marsh or swamp, and I -turned back a little, hoping to find a better path. Finding none, I -retraced my steps and kept straight ahead, determined to reach that -village at all costs and to swerve neither to the right nor to the left -until I got there. - -One moment I would be in water up to my knees and the next I would -sink in clear up to my waist. I paid no attention to my condition. It -was merely a repetition of what I had gone through many times before, -but this time I had a definite goal, and, once I reached it, I knew my -troubles would be over. - -It took me perhaps three hours to reach firm ground. The path I struck -led to within half a mile of the village. I shall never forget that -path; it was almost as welcome to my feet as the opposite bank of the -Meuse had seemed. - -The first habitation I came to was a little workshop with a bright light -shining outside. It must have been after midnight, but the people inside -were apparently just quitting work. There were three men and two boys -engaged in making wooden shoes. - -It wasn't necessary for me to explain to them that I was a refugee, even -if I had been able to speak their language. I was caked with mud up to -my shoulders, and I suppose my face must have recorded some of the -experiences I had gone through that memorable night. - -"I want the British consul," I told them. - -Apparently they didn't understand, but one of them volunteered to -conduct me to the village. They seemed to be only too anxious to do all -they could for me; evidently they realized I was a British soldier. - -It was very late when my companion finally escorted me into the village, -but he aroused some people he knew from their beds and they dressed and -came down to feed me. - -The family consisted of an old lady and her husband and a son who was a -soldier in the Dutch army. The cold shivers ran down my back while he -sat beside me, because every now and again I caught a glimpse of his -gray uniform and it resembled very much that of the German soldiers. - -Some of the neighbors, aroused by the commotion, got up to see what it -was all about, and came in and watched while I ate the meal those good -Dutch people prepared for me. Ordinarily, I suppose, I would have been -embarrassed with so many people staring at me while I ate, as though I -were some strange animal that had just been captured, but just then I -was too famished to notice or care very much what other people did. - -There will always be a warm place in my heart for the Dutch people. -I had heard lots of persons say that they were not inclined to help -refugees, but my experience did not bear these reports out. They -certainly did much more for me than I ever expected. - -I had a little German money left, but as the value of German money is -only about half in Holland, I didn't have enough to pay the fare to -Rotterdam, which was my next objective. It was due to the generosity of -these people that I was able to reach the British consul as quickly as -I did. Some day I hope to return to Holland and repay every single soul -who played the part of Good Samaritan to me. - -With the money that these people gave me I was able to get a third-class -ticket to Rotterdam, and I am glad that I didn't have enough to travel -first-class, for I would have looked as much out of place in a -first-class carriage as a Hun would appear in heaven. - -That night I slept in the house of my Dutch friends, where they fixed -me up most comfortably. In the morning they gave me breakfast and then -escorted me to the station. - -While I was waiting in the station a crowd gathered round me, and soon -it seemed as if the whole town had turned out to get a look at me. It -was very embarrassing, particularly as I could give them no information -regarding the cause of my condition, although, of course, they all knew -that I was a refugee from Belgium. - -As the train pulled out of the station the crowd gave a loud cheer, and -the tears almost came to my eyes as I contrasted in my mind the conduct -of this crowd and the one that had gathered at the station in Ghent when -I had departed a prisoner en route for the reprisal camp. I breathed a -sigh of relief as I thought of that reprisal camp and how fortunate I -had really been, despite all my suffering, to have escaped it. Now, at -any rate, I was a free man and I would soon be sending home the joyful -news that I had made good my escape. - -At Einhoffen two Dutch officers got into the compartment with me. They -looked at me with very much disfavor, not knowing, of course, that I was -a British officer. My clothes were still pretty much in the condition -they were when I crossed the border, although I had been able to scrape -off some of the mud I had collected the night before. I had not shaved -nor trimmed my beard for many days, and I must have presented a sorry -appearance. I could hardly blame them for edging away from me. - -The trip from Einhoffen to Rotterdam passed without special incident. -At various stations passengers would get into the compartment and, -observing my unusual appearance, would endeavor to start a conversation -with me. None of them spoke English, however, and they had to use their -own imagination as to my identity. - -When I arrived at Rotterdam I asked a policeman who stood in front of -the station where I could find the British consul, but I could not make -him understand. I next applied to a taxicab driver. - -"English consul--British consul--American consul--French consul," -I said, hoping that if he didn't understand one he might recognize -another. - -He eyed me with suspicion and motioned me to get in and drove off. I had -no idea where he was taking me, but after a quarter of an hour's ride he -brought up in front of the British consulate. Never before was I so glad -to see the Union Jack! - -I beckoned to the chauffeur to go with me up to the office, as I had no -money with which to pay him, and when we got to the consulate I told -them that if they would pay the taxi fare I would tell them who I was -and how I happened to be there. - -They knew at once that I was an escaped prisoner and they readily paid -the chauffeur and invited me to give some account of myself. - -They treated me most cordially and were intensely interested in the -brief account I gave them of my adventures. Word was sent to the -consul-general, and he immediately sent for me. When I went in he shook -hands with me, greeting me very heartily and offering me a chair. - -He then sat down, screwed a monocle on his eye, and viewed me from top -to toe. I could see that only good breeding kept him from laughing at -the spectacle I presented. I could see he wanted to laugh in the worst -way. - -"Go ahead and laugh!" I said. "You can't offend me the way I feel this -blessed day!" And he needed no second invitation. Incidentally, it gave -me a chance to laugh at him, for I was about as much amused as he was. - -After he had laughed himself about sick he got up and slapped me on the -back and invited me to tell him my story. - -"Lieutenant," he said, when I had concluded, "you can have anything you -want. I think your experiences entitle you to it." - -"Well, Consul," I replied, "I would like a bath, a shave, a hair-cut, -and some civilized clothes about as badly as a man ever needed them, I -suppose, but before that I would like to get a cable off to America to -my mother, telling her that I am safe and on my way to England." - -The consul gave the necessary instructions, and I had the satisfaction -of knowing before I left the office that the cable, with its good -tidings, was on its way to America. - -Then he sent for one of the naval men who had been interned there since -the beginning of the war and who was able to speak Dutch, and told him -to take good care of me. - -After I had been bathed and shaved and had a hair-cut, I bought some new -clothes and had something to eat, and I felt like a new man. - -As I walked through the streets of Rotterdam, breathing the air of -freedom again and realizing that there was no longer any danger of being -captured and taken back to prison, it was a wonderful sensation. - -I don't believe there will ever be a country that will appear in my -eyes quite as good as Holland did then. I had to be somewhat careful, -however, because Holland was full of German spies, and I knew they -would be keen to learn all they possibly could about my escape and my -adventures, so that the authorities in Belgium could mete out punishment -to every one who was in any respect to blame for it. As I was in -Rotterdam only a day, they didn't have very much opportunity to learn -anything from me. - -The naval officer who accompanied me and acted as interpreter for me -introduced me to many other soldiers and sailors who had escaped from -Belgium when the Germans took Antwerp, and as they had arrived in -Holland in uniform and under arms the laws of neutrality compelled their -internment, and they had been there ever since. - -The life of a man who is interned in a neutral country, I learned, is -anything but satisfactory. He gets one month a year to visit his home. -If he lives in England, that is not so bad, but if he happens to live -farther away, the time he has to spend with his folks is very short, as -the month's leave does not take into consideration the time consumed in -traveling to and from Holland. - -The possibility of escape from internment is always there, but the -British authorities have an agreement with the Dutch government to send -refugees back immediately. In this respect, therefore, the position of -a man who is interned is worse than that of a prisoner who, if he does -succeed in making his escape, is naturally received with open arms in -his native land. Apart from this restraint, however, internment, with -all its drawbacks, is a thousand times--yes, a million times better than -being a prisoner of war in Germany. - -It seems to me that when the war is over and the men who have been -imprisoned in Germany return home they should be given a bigger and -greater reception than the most victorious army that ever marched into a -city, for they will have suffered and gone through more than the world -will ever be able to understand. - -No doubt you will find in the German prison-camps one or two -faint-hearted individuals with a pronounced yellow streak who -voluntarily gave up the struggle and gave up their liberty rather than -risk their lives or limbs. These sad cases, however, are, I am sure, -extremely few. Nine hundred and ninety-nine out of a thousand of the men -fighting in the Allied lines would rather be in the front-line trenches, -fighting every day, with all the horrors and all the risks, than be a -prisoner of war in Germany, for the men in France have a very keen -realization of what that means. - -But to return to my day in Rotterdam. - -After I was fixed up I returned to the consulate and arrangements were -made for my transportation to England at once. Fortunately there was a -boat leaving that very night, and I was allowed to take passage on it. - -Just as we were leaving Rotterdam the boat I was on rammed our own -convoy, one of the destroyers, and injured it so badly that it had to -put back to port. It would have been a strange climax to my adventure -if the disaster had resulted in the sinking of my boat and I had lost -my life while on my way to England after having successfully outwitted -the Huns. But my luck was with me to the last, and while the accident -resulted in some delay, our boat was not seriously damaged and made -the trip over in schedule time and without further incident, another -destroyer having been assigned to escort us through the danger zone in -place of the one which we had put out of commission. - -When I arrived in London the reaction from the strain I had been under -for nearly three months immediately became apparent. My nerves were -in such a state that it was absolutely impossible for me to cross the -street without being in deadly fear of being run over or trampled on. -I stood at the curb, like an old woman from the country on her first -visit to the city, and I would not venture across until some knowing -policeman, recognizing my condition, came to my assistance and convoyed -me across. - -Indeed, there are a great number of English officers at home at all -times "getting back their nerve" after a long spell of active service -at the front, so that my condition was anything but novel to the London -bobbies. - -It was not many days, however, before I regained control of myself and -felt in first-class shape. - -Although the British authorities in Holland had wired my mother from -Holland that I was safe and on my way to England, the first thing I did -when we landed was to send her a cable myself. - -The cable read as follows: - - _Mrs. M. J. O'Brien, Momence, Ill., U. S. A._: - - Just escaped from Germany. Letter follows. - - PAT. - -As I delivered it to the cable-despatcher I could just imagine the -exultation with which my mother would receive it and the pride she would -feel as she exhibited it among her neighbors and friends. - -I could hear the volley of "I told you so's" that greeted her good -tidings. - -"It would take more than the Kaiser to keep Pat in Germany!" I could -hear one of them saying. - -"Knew he'd be back for Christmas, anyway," I could hear another remark. - -"I had an idea that Pat and his comrades might spend Christmas in -Berlin," I could hear another admitting, "but I didn't think any other -part of Germany would appeal to him very much." - -"Mrs. O'Brien, did Pat write you how many German prisoners he brought -back with him?" I could hear still another credulous friend inquiring. - -It was all very amusing and gratifying to me, and I must confess I felt -quite cocky as I walked into the War Department to report. - -For the next five days I was kept very busy answering questions put -to me by the military authorities regarding what I had observed as to -conditions in Germany and behind the lines. - -What I reported was taken down by a stenographer and made part of the -official records, but I did not give them my story in narrative form. -The information I was able to give was naturally of interest to various -branches of the service, and experts in every line of government work -took it in turns to question me. One morning would be devoted, for -instance, to answering questions of a military nature--German methods -behind the front-line trenches, tactics, morale of troops, and similar -matters. Then the aviation experts would take a whack at me and discuss -with me all I had observed of German flying-corps methods and equipment. -Then, again, the food experts would interrogate me as to what I had -learned of food conditions in Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium, and as -I had lived pretty close to the ground for the best part of seventy-two -days I was able to give them some fairly accurate reports as to actual -agricultural conditions, many of the things I told them probably having -more significance to them than they had to me. - -There were many things I had observed which I have not referred to -in these pages because their value to us might be diminished if the -Germans knew we were aware of them, but they were all reported to the -authorities, and it was very gratifying to me to hear that the experts -considered some of them of the greatest value. - -One of the most amusing incidents of my return occurred when I called at -my banker's in London to get my personal effects. - -The practice in the Royal Flying Corps when a pilot is reported missing -is to have two of his comrades assigned to go through his belongings, -check them over, destroy anything that it might not be to his interest -to preserve, and send the whole business to his banker or his home, -as the case may be. Every letter is read through, but its contents is -never afterward discussed nor revealed in any way. If the pilot is -finally reported dead, his effects are forwarded to his next of kin, -but while he is officially only "missing" or is known to be a prisoner -of war they are kept either at the squadron headquarters or sent to his -banker's. - -In my case, as soon as it was learned that I had fallen from the sky it -was assumed that I had been killed, and my chum, Paid Raney, and another -officer were detailed to check over my effects. The list they made and -to which they affixed their signatures, as I have previously mentioned, -is now in my possession and is one of the most treasured souvenirs of my -adventure. - -My trunk was sent to Cox & Co. in due course, and now that I was in -London I thought I would go and claim it. - -When I arrived in the bank I applied at the proper window for my mail -and trunk. - -"Who are you?" I was asked, rather sharply. - -"Well, I guess no one has any greater right to Pat O'Brien's effects -than I have," I replied, "and I would be obliged to you if you would -look them up for me." - -"That may be all right, my friend," replied the clerk, "but according -to our records Lieutenant O'Brien is a prisoner of war in Germany, -and we can't very well turn over his effects to any one else unless -either you present proof that he is dead and that you are his lawful -representative, or else deliver to us a properly authenticated order -from him to give them to you." - -He was very positive about it all, but quite polite, and I thought I -would kid him no more. - -"Well," I said, "I can't very well present proofs to you that Pat -O'Brien is dead, but I will do the best I can to prove to you that he is -alive, and if you haven't quite forgotten his signature I guess I can -write you out an order that will answer all your requirements and enable -you to give me Pat O'Brien's belongings without running any risks." And -I scribbled my signature on a scrap of paper and handed it to him. - -He looked at me carefully through the latticed window, then jumped down -from his chair and came outside to clasp me by the hand. - -"Good Heavens, Lieutenant!" he exclaimed as he pumped my hand up and -down. "How did you ever get away?" And I had to sit right down -and tell him and half a dozen other people in the bank all about my -experiences. - -[Illustration: COPY OF TELEGRAM INVITING LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN TO MEET KING -GEORGE] - -[Illustration: COPY OF TELEGRAM SENT BY LIEUTENANT O'BRIEN IN ANSWER TO -AN INVITATION TO MEET KING GEORGE] - -I had been in England about ten days when I received a telegram which, -at first, occasioned me almost as much concern as the unexpected sight -of a German spiked helmet had caused me in Belgium. It read as follows: - - _Lieut. P. A. O'Brien, Royal Flying Corps, Regent's Palace - Hotel, London_: - - The King is very glad to hear of your escape from Germany. - If you are to be in London on Friday next, December 7th, His - Majesty will receive you at Buckingham Palace at 10:30 A.M. Please - acknowledge. - - CROMER. - -Of course, there was only one thing to do and that was to obey orders. I -was an officer in the army and the King was my commander-in-chief. I had -to go, and so I sat down and sent off the following answer: - - _Earl Cromer, Buckingham Palace, London_: - - I will attend Buckingham Palace as directed, Friday, December - 7th, at 10:30. - - LIEUTENANT PAT O'BRIEN. - -In the interval that elapsed I must confess, the ordeal of calling on -the King of England loomed up more dreadfully every day, and I really -believe I would rather have spent another day in that empty house in the -big city in Belgium, or, say, two days at Courtrai, than go through what -I believed to be in store for me. - -Orders were orders, however, and there was no way of getting out of it. -As it turned out it wasn't half so bad as I had feared; on the contrary, -it was one of the most agreeable experiences of my life. - - - - -XIX - -I AM PRESENTED TO THE KING - - -When the dreaded 7th of December arrived I hailed a taxicab and in as -matter-of-fact tone of voice as I could command directed the chauffeur -to drive me to Buckingham Palace, as though I were paying my regular -morning call on the King. - -My friends' version of this incident, I have since heard, is that -I seated myself in the taxi and, leaning through the window, said, -"Buckingham Palace!" whereupon the taxi driver got down, opened the -door, and exclaimed, threateningly: - -"If you don't get out quietly and chuck your drunken talk, I'll jolly -quick call a bobby, bli' me if I won't!" - -But I can only give my word that nothing of the kind occurred. - -When I arrived at the palace gate the sentry on guard asked me who -I was, and then let me pass at once up to the front entrance of the -palace. - -There I was met by an elaborately uniformed and equally elaborately -decorated personage, who, judging by the long row of medals he wore, -must have seen long and distinguished service for the King. - -I was relieved of my overcoat, hat, and stick and conducted up a long -stairway, where I was turned over to another functionary, who led me to -the reception-room of Earl Cromer, the King's secretary. - -There I was introduced to another earl and a duke whose names I do not -remember. I was becoming so bewildered, in fact, that it is a wonder -that I remember as much as I do of this eventful day. - -I had heard many times that before being presented to the King a man is -coached carefully as to just how he is to act and what he is to say and -do, and all this time I was wondering when this drilling would commence. -I certainly had no idea that I was to be ushered into the august -presence of the King without some preliminary instruction. - -Earl Cromer and the other noblemen talked to me for a while and got me -to relate in brief the story of my experiences, and they appeared to be -very much interested. Perhaps they did it only to give me confidence and -as a sort of rehearsal for the main performance, which was scheduled to -take place much sooner than I expected. - -I had barely completed my story when the door opened and an attendant -entered and announced: - -"The King will receive Leftenant O'Brien!" - -If he had announced that the Kaiser was outside with a squad of German -guards to take me back to Courtrai my heart could not have sunk deeper. - -Earl Cromer beckoned me to follow him, and we went into a large room, -where I supposed I was at last to receive my coaching, but I observed -the earl bow to a man standing there and realized that I was standing in -the presence of the King of England. - -"Your Majesty, Leftenant O'Brien!" the earl announced, and then -immediately backed from the room. I believed I would have followed -right behind him, but by that time the King had me by the hand and was -congratulating me, and he spoke so very cordially and democratically -that he put me at my ease at once. - -He then asked me how I felt and whether I was in a condition to -converse, and when I told him I was he said he would be very much -pleased to hear my story in detail. - -"Were you treated any worse by the Germans, Leftenant," he asked, "on -account of being an American? I've heard that the Germans had threatened -to shoot Americans serving in the British army if they captured them, -classing them as murderers because America was a neutral country and -Americans had no right to mix in the war. Did you find that to be the -case?" - -I told him that I had heard similar reports, but that I did not -notice any appreciable difference in my treatment from that accorded -Britishers. - -The King declared that he believed my escape was due to my pluck and -will power, and that it was one of the most remarkable escapes he had -ever heard of, which I thought was quite a compliment, coming as it did -from the King of England. - -"I hope that all the Americans will give as good an account of -themselves as you have, Leftenant," he said, "and I feel quite sure they -will. I fully appreciate all the service rendered us by Americans before -the States entered the war." - -At this point I asked him if I was taking too much time. - -"Not at all, Leftenant, not at all!" he replied, most cordially. "I -was extremely interested in the brief report that came to me of your -wonderful escape, and I sent for you because I wanted to hear the whole -story first-hand, and I am very glad you were able to come." - -I had not expected to remain more than a few minutes, as I understood -that four minutes is considered a long audience with the King. Fifty-two -minutes elapsed before I finally left there! - -During all this time I had done most of the talking, in response to the -King's request to tell my story. Occasionally he interrupted to ask a -question about a point he wanted me to make clear, but for the most part -he was content to play the part of listener. - -He seemed to be very keen on everything, and when I described some of -the tight holes I got into during my escape he evinced his sympathy. -Occasionally I introduced some of the few humorous incidents of my -adventure, and in every instance he laughed heartily. - -Altogether the impression I got of him was that he is a very genial, -gracious, and alert sovereign. I know I have felt more ill at ease when -talking to a major than when speaking to the King--but perhaps I had -more cause to. - -During the whole interview we were left entirely alone, which impressed -me as significant of the democratic manner of the present King of -England, and I certainly came away with the utmost respect for him. - -In all of my conversation, I recalled afterward, I never addressed the -King as "Your Majesty," but used the military "sir." As I was a British -officer and he was the head of the army, he probably appreciated this -manner of address more than if I had used the usual "Your Majesty." -Perhaps he attributed it to the fact that I was an American. At any -rate, he didn't evince any displeasure at my departure from what I -understand is the usual form of address. - -Before I left he asked me what my plans for the future were. - -"Why, sir, I hope to rejoin my squadron at the earliest possible -moment!" I replied. - -"No, Leftenant," he rejoined, "that is out of the question. We can't -risk losing you for good by sending you back to a part of the front -opposed by Germany, because if you were unfortunate enough to be -captured again they would undoubtedly shoot you." - -"Well, if I can't serve in France, sir," I suggested, "wouldn't it be -feasible for me to fly in Italy or Salonica?" - -"No," he replied; "that would be almost as bad. The only thing that -I can suggest for you to do is either to take up instruction--a very -valuable form of service--or perhaps it might be safe enough for you to -serve in Egypt; but, just at present, Leftenant, I think you have done -enough, anyway." - -Then he rose and shook hands with me and wished me the best of luck, and -we both said, "Good-by." - -In the adjoining room I met Earl Cromer again, and as he accompanied me -to the door he seemed to be surprised at the length of my visit. - -"His Majesty must have been very much interested in your story," he -said. - -As I left the palace a policeman and a sentry outside came smartly to -attention. Perhaps they figured I had been made a general. - -As I was riding back to the hotel in a taxi I reflected on the -remarkable course of events which in the short space of nine months had -taken me through so much and ended up, like the finish of a book, with -my being received by his Majesty the King! When I first joined the Royal -Flying Corps I never expected to see the inside of Buckingham Palace, -much less to be received by the King. - - - - -XX - -HOME AGAIN! - - -That same day, in the evening, I was tendered a banquet at the Hotel -Savoy by a fellow-officer who had bet three other friends of mine that -I would be home by Christmas. This wager had been made at the time he -heard that I was a prisoner of war, and the dinner was the stake. - -The first intimation he had of my safe return from Germany and the fact -that he had won his bet was a telegram I sent him reading as follows: - - _Lieutenant Louis Grant_: - - War-bread bad, so I came home. - - PAT. - -He said he would not part with that message for a thousand dollars. - -Other banquets followed in fast succession. After I had survived nine -of them I figured that I was now in as much danger of succumbing to a -surfeit of rich food as I had previously been of dying from starvation, -and for my own protection I decided to leave London. Moreover, my -thoughts and my heart were turning back to the land of my birth, where I -knew there was a loving old mother who was longing for more substantial -evidence of my safe escape than the cables and letters she had received. - -Strangely enough, on the boat which carried me across the Atlantic I saw -an R. F. C. man--Lieutenant Lascelles. - -I walked over to him, held out my hand, and said, "Hello!" - -He looked at me steadily for at least a minute. - -"My friend, you certainly look like Pat O'Brien," he declared, "but I -can't believe my eyes. Who are you?" - -I quickly convinced him that his eyes were still to be relied upon, -and then he stared at me for another minute or two, shaking his head -dubiously. - -His mystification was quite explicable. The last time he had seen me I -was going down to earth with a bullet in my face and my machine doing -a spinning nose dive. He was one of my comrades in the flying corps and -was in the fight which resulted in my capture. He said he had read the -report that I was a prisoner of war, but he had never believed it, as he -did not think it possible for me to survive that fall. - -He was one of the few men living out of eighteen who were originally -in my squadron--I do not mean the eighteen with whom I sailed from -Canada last May, but the squadron I joined in France. He rehearsed -for me the fate of all my old friends in the squadron, and it was a -mighty sad story. All of them had been killed except one or two who -were in dry-dock for repairs. He himself was on his way to Australia to -recuperate and get his nerves back into shape again. He had been in many -desperate combats. - -As we sat on the deck exchanging experiences I would frequently notice -him gazing intently in my face as if he were not quite sure that the -whole proposition was not a hoax and that I was not an impostor. - -Outside of this unexpected meeting, my trip across was uneventful. - -I arrived in St. John, New Brunswick, and eventually the little town of -Momence, Illinois, on the Kankakee River. - -I have said that I was never so happy to arrive in a country as I was -when I first set foot on Dutch soil. Now I'm afraid I shall have to take -that statement back. Not until I finally landed in Momence and realized -that I was again in the town of my childhood days did I enjoy that -feeling of absolute security which one never really appreciates until -after a visit to foreign parts. - -Now that I am back, the whole adventure constantly recurs to me as a -dream, and I'm never quite sure that I won't wake up and find it so. - - -THE END - - - * * * * * - - -[Transcriber's Notes: - -The transcriber made these changes to the text to correct obvious -errors: - - 1. p. 172 woulb --> would - 2. p. 265 geting --> getting - -End of Transcriber's Notes] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Outwitting the Hun, by Pat O'Brien - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - -***** This file should be named 42490-8.txt or 42490-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/9/42490/ - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. 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Pat O'Brien—A Project Gutenberg eBook. @@ -268,46 +268,7 @@ </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Outwitting the Hun, by Pat O'Brien - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Outwitting the Hun - My Escape from a German Prison Camp - -Author: Pat O'Brien - -Release Date: April 8, 2013 [EBook #42490] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42490 ***</div> <div class="trans-note"> <p class="heading">Transcriber's Note</p> @@ -1302,10 +1263,10 @@ America I came from, and I told him "California."</p> <p>After a few more questions he learned that I hailed from San Francisco, and then added to my distress by saying, "How would you like to have a -good juicy steak right out of the Hofbräu?" Naturally, I told him it +good juicy steak right out of the Hofbräu?" Naturally, I told him it would "hit the spot," but I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> hardly thought my mouth was in shape just then to eat it. I immediately asked, of course, what he knew about the -Hofbräu, and he replied, "I was connected with the place a good many +Hofbräu, and he replied, "I was connected with the place a good many years, and I ought to know all about it."</p> <p>After that this German officer and I became rather chummy—that is, as @@ -4978,7 +4939,7 @@ out. The soldiers had not gone more than a few feet ahead of me when they disappeared in the darkness like one of those melting pictures on the moving-picture screen.</p> -<p>As I wandered through the streets I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> frequently glanced in the café +<p>As I wandered through the streets I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> frequently glanced in the café windows as I passed. German officers were usually dining there, but they didn't conduct themselves with anything like the light-heartedness which characterizes the Allied officers in London and Paris. I was @@ -5145,8 +5106,8 @@ if she had known that it was going to delay my final escape for even a single moment, as it did, I am quite sure she would rather I had never seen it.</p> -<p>On one piece of lace was the Flemish word "<i>Charité</i>" and on the -other the word "<i>Espérance</i>." At the time, I took these words to mean +<p>On one piece of lace was the Flemish word "<i>Charité</i>" and on the +other the word "<i>Espérance</i>." At the time, I took these words to mean "Charity" and "Experience," and all I hoped was that I would get as much of the one as I was getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> of the other before I finally got through. I learned subsequently that what the words really stood for was @@ -6304,383 +6265,6 @@ dream, and I'm never quite sure that I won't wake up and find it so.</p> <hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Outwitting the Hun, by Pat O'Brien - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUTWITTING THE HUN *** - -***** This file should be named 42490-h.htm or 42490-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/9/42490/ - -Produced by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. 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