Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-18

capped would almost inevitably result
In our recapturc. The Huns would
nave secured Belgium till they had
got us and then we would all be shot.
Perhaps they were right.
Nevertheless, / was determined that,
no matter what the others decided to
do, | was going 10 make one bid for
freedom, come what might.
AS we passed through village after
village In Belgium and realized that
we were getting nearer and nearer to
that dreaded reprisal camp, | con-
cluded that my one and only chance of
getting free before We reached it was
through the window l would have
to go through that window while the
train was going fulI-speed, because if
L waited until 1t had slowed up or
stopped entirely, it would be a simple
matter for the guards TO overtake or
shoot me.
l 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 l found the car too warm or that
the smoke, with which the compart-
ment was filed, annoyed me.
AS | opened the window, the noise
the train was making as it Numbered
along grew louder. 1t seemed TO say:
you're fool if you do; you're a fool
If you dOn't-yOu're a fool If you do
yoN're a fool if you dOn't"-and 1 said
to myself 1.-The noes have it," and
closed down the window again.
As soon as the window was closed,
the noise of the train naturally sub
sided and its speed seemed to dimin-
ish, and my plan appealed to me
stronger than ever.
knew the guard in front of me
didn't understand a word of English,
and so, in a quiet tone of voice, con-
fided to the English officer who sat
next me what had planned TO do.
For Gods sake, Pat, chuck it, he
urged. Don't be a lunatic! This rail-
lasted 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 bridge or
a whistling post, and If you escape
those you will probably be hit by an
other train on the other track. You
haven't one chance in a thousand TO
make ii !"
There was a good deal of logic in
what he said, but l figured that once l
was in that reprisal camp l might
never have even one chance in thou
sand to escape, and the idea of re-
manning a prisoner of war indefinitely
went against my grain. 1 resolved to
take my chance now at the risk OF
breaking my neck.
The car was full of smoke. l 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
while had smiled at him, and 1 figured
that he hadn't the slightest idea of
what was going through my mind all
the time we had been travelling.
began to cough as though my throat
was badly irrltated by the smoke and
then l opened the window again. This
time the guard looked up and showed
his disapproval, but did not say any
thing.
1t was then 4 o'clock in the morn
ing and would soon be light. 1 knew
had TO do it right then, or never, as
there would be no chance to escape in
the daytime.
/ had on a trench coat that 1 had
used as a flying coat and wore my
which 1 had constructed
out of a gas bag brought into Courtrai
by British prisoner. In this 1 had
two pieces of bread, piece of sau-
sage and a pair of flying mittens. All
Of them had TO go with me through the
window.
The train was now going at rate Of
between thirty and thirty-five miles an
hour, and again it seemed to admonish