Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-09-20

Lieutenant o'Brien's Answer to Summons of King George.

watched while I ate the meal those
good Dutch people prepared for me.
Ordinarily / suppose / would have
been embarrassed with so many peo-
pie staring at me while / ate as
though I were some strange animal
that has just been captured, but just
then / was too famished to notice or
care very much what other people did.
There will always be a warn place
in my heart for the Dutch people. I
had heard lots of persons say that
they were not inclined to help refu-
gees, but my experience did not bear
these reports out. They certainly did
more for me than l ever expected
/ had a little German money left,
only about half in Holland, l didn't
have enough to pay the fare to Rot
terdam, which was my next objective.
1t was due to the generosity Of these
people that l vas able to reach the
British consul as quickly as / did.
Some day l hope to return to Holland
and repay every single soul who
played the part of the good Samari-
tan to me.
With the money that these people
gave me / was able to get a third
class ticket to Rotterdam, and / was
glad that 1 didn't have to travel first
class, for l would have looked as much
out of place in a first-class carriage
as a Hun would appear in heaven.
That night 1 slept in the house Of
my Dutch friends, where they fixed
me up most comfortably. In the morn
ing they gave me breakfast and then
escorted me to the station.
While I was waiting at 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. 1t was
very embarrassing, particularly as /
could give them no information re-
garding the cause of my condition, al
though, of course, they all knew that
1 was a refugee from Belgium.
AS the train pulled out of the sta
ton, 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 M that had
gathered at the station in Client when
I had departed a prisoner en- route
for the reprisal camp. 1 breathed a
sigh of relief as I thought of that re-
prisal camp and how fortunate l had
really been, despite all my sufferings.
to have escaped it. Now, at any rate,
I was a free man and 1 would soon be
sending home the joyful news that !
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 / vas a
British officer. My clothes were still
pretty much in the condition they
were when / crossed the border, al
though 1 had been able to scrape off
some of the mud I had collected the
night before. / had not shaved nor
trimmed my beard for many days,
and 1 must have presented a sorry
appearance. l could hardly blame
them for edging away from me.
: The trip from Einhoffen to Rotter-
dam passed without special incident.
At various stations passengers would
get in the compartment and, observ-
ing 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 1 arrived at Rotterdam /
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
itaxicab driver.
English consul-British consul
American consul-French consul !" I
said, hoping that if he didn't under
stand one he might recognize an
other.
He eyed me with suspicion and mo-
toned me to get in and drove off. l
had no idea where he was taking me,
but after a quarter of an hours ride he
brought up in front of the British
consul. Never before was l so glad
to see the Union Jack!
i DcChOA~u " LAC NAo011O0L " ~
with me up to the office, as I had no
money with which to pay him. and
when he got to the consulate l
told them that if they would pay the
taxi fare l would tell them who ]
was and how I happened to be there.
They knew at once that I vas an
escaped prisoner and they readily
paid the chauffeur and invited M to
give some account of myself.
They treated me most cordially and
we're intensely interested In the brief
account I gave them of my adven-
lures. 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 mon
ocle on his eye and viewed me from
top to toe. l could see that only good
49, L.. A. I-..-Ls-- -