The Washington herald., 1916-06-05

worm-eaten and the plaster Of the ceiling
below was moldy-and dropped gently
through. Silence in the house. broken
only by the snoring of the guards at the
front door. We had removed our boots
and tiptoed gently down.
Alas! alas! Just as we slipped past
them, there was a roar from the one
upstairs. and he came hurtiing after
US. Luckily for US, he tripped and fell
over the two at the door. wakening
them. and in the midst OF much ours
ing and shooting we rushed out into
the darkness.
For two days we hid in the woods.
without food, while bells were rung
and volleys fired. and search parties
pierced the bushes with their bay
onets to within a few feet OF where
We lay! Then on we would creep
through snow and ice. until we grew
too weak to continue and my arm be-
gan to freeze.
My companions went ahead to
reconnoitre. and it was then that a
German country woman saw me. Poor
soul, she was so terrified that she
dropped her market basket and ran for
dear lifel No wonder. for 1t was
queer, hollow-eyed spectre OF a man
in a tattered uniform that she saw.
But the contents of her basket we're
and some cold meat. and when my
companions returned and told me that
the frontier was only 200 yards ahead
We shared the food hurriedly together.
then all crawled on into safety"
But your armand your eyes"
aueried the old Welshmen by the fire.
"Ach v fi"' calculated the soldier.
TT was the frostbite out in those Ger
man woods that made me lose the arm
total hlin6ness
followed the loss of one eye and the
weakness of the other. But after
long rest, the doctors tell me there's
some hope I may see again. although,
he sighed. always dimly."
Like all Celtic peoples. the Welsh
are deeply religious. 1t was in little
country church the other day that I
first heard the old pathetic hymns OF
the nation The music was like the
sound of the wind as IT whistled over
the bleak moors outside or sighed
through the deep forests that were so
close to US. The service following was
in Welsh.
On the walls of the church were me-
mortal tablets to officers fallen in the
present war. There was one erected
to the memory Of a boy OF eighteen,
killed at Loos. Below ran the famous
motto: "A ddioddefwys a orfu." (He
who suffers. conquers.) Another was
erected by a widow to her only son,
an officer Of the South Wales Border
ers. He was very greatly loved, was
written in English-then below: "Hedd
Duw a dangnef" GODS peace and
His heavenly tranquillityO
The voices of the congregation rose
and blended in an old Welsh psalm
There was a fervor in their tones that
was almost fanatical.
A strong belief in the supernatural Is
another Welsh characteristic. Journey
ing through Wales. one meets II every
where In a small northern town there
is a spring Of water supposed to be en-
dowed with miraculous properties. II
was there that I saw an old woman with
her khaki-clad son. She had Travelled
quite a distance in the hope that the
fouutafn-St winefred's Well. 1t is call
ed-would restore him to health again.
Poor boy He was recovering from Sc
we're head wounds. and gazed sadly into
vacancy, without one word to say. His
mother urged him to drink the water
and he did as she asked. but in a be-
wildered way which showed that he un-
derstood nothing very clearly.
"Oh anvil. oh leuan fach." she creid,
using the old Welsh terms of endearment.
drink much, because this water has
healing in it,
A peasant told me the history of the
Well-a history WHICH dll NAc peoPle III
the district believe to be true. Way back
in the seventh century a beautiful dam
sci called winefred was beloved by
neighboring chieftain. CaradOc. She was
bashful and coy. however, refusing his
oft-repeated proposals OF marriage. SO
the much-incensed youth pursued her
and cut OF her head, which rolled down
hill From the spot where it rested, wa
ter Immediately gushed forth, possessed
0f 1arTrliar healing nrnnnTftPS ST Bruno
then arrived on the scene, carried the
head to the body. replaced it on the lady's
slender neck, the parts reunited and she
lived happy ever after. But not with
Caradoc. That bad young man was
struck down dead for his sins
Around st. Winefred's Well, then. are
to be found quite a number OF supersti-
tious Welsh soldiers, seeking healing for
their wounds. I noted the peculiar tex