The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-17

| lIclT pdEOlo ana pTOCc0O upon d COLI
stitutional through the country roads
for an hour or two. About thirty out
of 200 avail themselves of this privi-
lege each day. They are accomp pam
led by a British officer and an order
| ly, both unarmed.
The rest Of the day is their own. The
morning is devoted to study, chiefly
lessons in foreign languages. English
and Spanish being the most popular.
The afternoons are occupied either in
sports or in gardening. All the
French and English papers are taken.
but German papers are discouraged.
Officers receive pay from the Brit
ish Government at the rate of 81 per
day in the case of junior officers and
rather more for officers of higher
rank. This allowance is supposed to
| cover their messing expenses, tobacco
and drink bill. AS a matter Of fact
the messing averages but half that
| amount, leaving so cents for 1uxuries.
| I interviewed the mess president,
young officer who left America early
| in the war to rejoin his regiment and
was taken oc his boat at Gibraltar by
the British.
With him I ran through the daily
| menu. It was more generous and va
ried than the food of 80 per cent. of
the population Of the United States.
I asked whether there were any COM
plants, I felt certain of an ex-
preston of appreciation in view of the
excellent fve-course dinner menu he
had just showed me.
Well" he said, obviously trying to
be generous and avoid harsh terms,
, II do think we might be allowed some
Bismarck herring. We have been
| unable to get any Marinierte herringfn
the village and we are not allowed to
get our provisions from London.
swear did not SO much as allow a
Single muscle of my face to indicate
amusement. Instead I made sol
! emn, note Of it. I felt that bastard
ly British Government, taking advan-
tage of the position of these gallant
officers, was behaving abominably.
Presently I gently, musing1y remark
ed:
1T wonder what the British get in
Ruhleben ?'
ZACH, Ruhleben!'' he calculated.
"Gross exaggeration; and besides, Sic
sind doch Kriegsgefangene, NIGHT
| wahr! (War prisoners cannot expect
luxuries.) 81
T gasped, and thought hard. It is
unbelievable, but this intelligent fell
low actually considered it hard lines
that German officers should be with
out their favorite hors d'oeuvres,
while it was quite as it should be
that Britishers were starving in dirty
and typhoid invested novels in Ger
many.
I passed along to the huts occupied
by a number of young naval officers.
The little flower beds surrounding
their sleeping quarters were fragrant
with vari-colored blossoms. The SOL
diermen were less energetic or lack
ed the artistic sense. Incidentally, the
sailormen are better hammered and
all spoke English f1uently. AS ap-
preached they all stood up to atten-
ton, even those engaged in a game
of bridge, in spite of the Camp Com
fmandant's request that they remain
seated. They appeared to be on ex-
cellent terms with their '.jai1er," who
chided each one about some pecu-
liarity. One, it appears, was dis
tressed because the border of "bache-
lor's buttons did not thrive in his lit
tie flower bed. Another had not re-
ceived an expected parcel from the
Fatherland.
Every prisoner must wear uniform
and most of them arrived In sadly
worn and stained outfit. Presently
there arrived a most gorgeous collec-
ton of dress uniforms and now the
Sunday parade is Joyous sight.
Cuirassiers of the Guard in white
frock coats and red facings, Hussars
in blue doublebrested tunics, Prus-
sian Guardsmen in long gray coats
and gaudy sashes, Uhlans, Dragons
and less splendid infantry officers.
The lawn on Sunday morning before
church parade is gay with these mill
tary peacocks-and never a henbird
to cast an admiring eye upon them.
Divine service in the chapel for the
Catholics is followed by the minis
trations of the Lutheran pastor
1 talked With the senior officer,
whose rank entities him to rule the
camp under the British Commandant.
He had been taken near Ypres during
the terribly five days when the "cou-
temptible little army" depleted by
one-third, faced the flower of the
German army urged on to Calais by
the War Lord himself. The culmi-
mating attack by two whole German
itulFlSlOIIS WdS ilCtOG dSdlISL OIl0 cav
airy. brigade, which lost 40 per cent
Of it's total in five days.
I was greatly interested when this
Prussian officer Informed me that he
had been separated from his COM
rades and had run into a trench full
of British cavalrymen, for from the
date Of his capture and the account
he gave Of the events of the day I
gathered that he and I must have
been very near to each other that
noisy November day.
I was eager for a piece of infor-
nation.
How was it," I asked, "that the
Germans did not get through that
day? The British were retiring slow
ly and stubbornly and vigorous pur-
suit would have made a sauve quiz
peut of it. We thought we were scup-
pered, sure"
"Well. I'll tell YOU" he said. when
the British occupied the prepared
trenches outside the town we ad-
vanced in force. But the Dragon
Guards held us up long time They
had a good field of fire and we could
not make Roadway They spoiled our
game. Then when we did manage to
get some Of the French trenches on
the right of the cavalrymen we saw
your enormous reserves and had to
fo,, 70