The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-09-12

been merely collecting metal and
other materials which they expected
an elaborate dwelling house like the
one in which l was concealed to yield.
Later heard that the Germans have
taken practically every ounce of brass,
copper and wool they could lay their
hands on in Belgium. Even the brass
! out of pianos has been ruthlessly re-
moved, the serious damage done TO
valuable property by the removal of
only an insignificant proportion of
metal never being taken into consid-
Grafton. 1 learned, too, that all dogs
over fourteen inches high had been
seized by the Germans. This furnished
lots Of speculation among the Belgians
as to what use the Germans were put
ting the animals to, the general inn
preston apparently being that they
were being used for food!
This, however, seemed much less
! likely to me than that they were being
! employed as dispatch dogs in the
! trenches, the same as we use them on
! our side of the line. They might pos
sibly kill the dogs and use their skins
for leather and their carcasses for tai
low, but l feel quite sure that the
! Huns are by no means so short of food
that they have TO eat dogs yet awhile.
Indeed, l want to repeat here what
! have mentioned before if anyone has
the idea that this war can be won by
starving the Huns, he hasn't the slight
|
mans are in that respect. They have
considered their food needs in connec-
! ton with their resources for several
years to come and they have gone at
it in such a methodical, systematic
way, taking into consideration every
possible contingency, that provided
there is not an absolute crop failure
there isn't the slightest doubt in my
mind that they can last for years, and
the worst of it is they are very cock
sure about it themselves.
1t is true that the German soldiers
want peace. AS 1 watched them
through the keyhole in the door /
thought how unfavorably they COM
pared with our men. They marched
along the street without laughter, with
out joking, without singing. 1t was
quite apparent that the war is telling
on them. don't believe / saw single
German soldier who didn't look as If
he had lost his best friend-and he
probably had.
At the same time there is a big diff
ference-certainly a difference of sew
eral years-between wishing the war
was over and giving up, and l don't
believe the German rank and file any
more than their leaders have the slight
est idea at this time of giving up at
all.
But to return to my experience
while concealed in the house. After
the visit of the soldiers, which left
the house in wretched condition, l
decided that would continue my jour-
ney towards the frontier, particularly
as had gotten all could out of Huy-
Tiger. or rather he had gotten all he
was going to get out of me.
During my concealment in the house
had made various sorties into the
city at night, and 1 was beginning to
feel more comfortable even when Ger
man soldiers were about. Through
the keyhole / had studied very
closely the gait Of the Belgians, the
slovenly droop that characterized most
of them, and their general appearance,
and felt that in my own dirty and un-
shaver condition. i must have looked
as much like the average poor Belgian
as a man could. The only thing that
was against me was my height. was
several inches taller than even the
tallest Belgians. l had often thought
that red hair would have gone good
with my name, but now, of course,
was mighty glad that 1 was not SO
endowed, for red-haired Belgians are
about as rare as German charity.
There are many, no doubt, who will
wonder why did not get more belI
than did at this time. 1t is easily
answered. When a man is In hourly
fear of his life and the country is full
of spies, as Belgium certainly was, he
is not going to help just anyone that
comes along seeking aid. One of the
Germans most successful ways of trap
ping the Belgians has been to pose as
an English or French prisoner who has
escaped. appeal TO them for aid. impli
cate as any as possible, and Their
turn the whole German police force
loose on them. AS / look back or
those days 1 think IL remarkable thai
! 1 received as much help as / did, but
when people are starving under the
conditions now forced upon those un
fortunate people, Il is great ten pta
ton to surrender these escaped pris
oners to German authorities and re
ceive the handsome rewards offered
: for them---or for alien spies, as was
! classed at that time.
! The passport which had described
) me as a Spanish sailor, but I was
. very dubious about Its value. II
\ could have spoken Spanish fiuently a
3 might have been worth something Il
I me, but the few words / knew of thu
r language would not have carried m'