The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-24

hospital receiving the best of atten- 1 ton for many months. Being In Hunland, however, he was sent down l. a mine to work upon a diet of sour food, his head swathed in a filthy 1 bandage and his feet wrapped in rags torn from our unwashed shirts lh This unlucky soldier must have suf- fered agonies, yet his fighting spirit could not be quelled. as was evident on his first day with us. l The soldierW has been drained from the neighborheoa tofs Essere and to make up the deficiency in the guard dogs have been trained, two of which accompany each soldier. These dogs are large and ferocious animals, and | are trained by means of dummies, which they tear to pieces at a word from the German guard. They have been, trained to respect only the Ger man uniform and they growl and snarl at everyone else.
 i We were met by these brutes every evening when we left the mine, and they snapped at our heels until we reached the huts. At night we could hear them prowling around, shifting at every creyice.
 It was through these canine guards that 'sScotty'' Gas we called him) got into trouble on his first night He resented the presence of the dogs from the first. This feeling was in- tensified by an incident which oc- curfed. slssS9 ss%
 As we were marching along to our huts, all weary and dirty. one of the new arrivals, a Canadian, slipped helplessly to the ground from sheer exhaustion, as he had worked all day without food. One of these dogs inn mediate1y bounced upon him, tear ling at his already tattered garments, and snapping at his hands as he rais- ed them in a feeble effort of self protection.
 The guard, when requested to call l off this brute, gesticulated and grin ned, protesting in German that he I was powerless when the beast was I reused.
 l "Scotty'' could not stand this inhu- manity, and in tFice he lept forward and thrust his fist, with all his weight behind it, into the grinning face of l the guard. Immediately the other Britishers with shout that seemed to come from one man, dashed into
 the! fray, and soon dogs and men were fighting like wild animals. Such a scene had never before witnessed The melee was soon over, however
 as the prisoners were exhausted, and 1 indeed, where they found the strength for such a struggle only God knows
 When quietness had once more beer restored we saw the results of the fight. Two dogs lay dead, and an
 other, the one which had started the
 attack, was almost lifeless for "Scot. ty'' had been forced to almost smash it's skull with the butt end of the guard rifle before it would leave go it's hold of the Canadian.
 1 'sScotty'' himself was, after the 1struggle, as white as death, and blood oozed from his head and trickled dowr his neck. but his eyes still shone with the light of battle. Most of the other Britishers were spattered witt blood, either their own or that of the guards or dogs, but they had fully lavenged the attack made upon theh
 comrade, for not one of the guare
 had escaped scathless.
 Whether or not it was on account of this outbreak cannot say, but the Britishers were certainly :. treated
 worse than any of the prisoners. Int half-pound of meat per week was nev CT served to them as to others, ant their bread ration was cut down tt two slices per day-one for night ant
 one for morning. So tl1-fed were I these men that have known then to eat all their bread directly it wa. served out, though as result the,
 had to go without food until the mex evening
 Nobody received medical attention
 although several of the new arrivals
 were suffering from wounds No diff ference was made in their case eith CT in diet or work.
 On one occasion kommandel came to inspect the mines, and ths Britishers presented themselves be fore him len masse" and asked fol I medical attention and ordinary con