The Arizona copper camp., 1918-11-09

AOI NCIY W
he Germans and chased her away.
When we arrived at the camp we were
put into the receiving barracks and
kept there six days. The condition of
.hese barracks was not such that you
could describe it. The floors were ac-
Fually nothing but filth. Very few OF
he hunks remained; the rest had been
Forn down-for fuel, suppose.
The day we were transferred to the
regular prison barracks four hundred
Russians and Relgians were buried.
Most of them had died from cholera,
Uphold and inoculations. We heard
rom the prisoners there before us that
he Germans had come through the
lamps with word that there was an
Epidemic of black typhus and cholera
nd that the only thing for the meu to
was to take the serum treatment TO
void catching these diseases. Most of
he four hundred men had died from
he inoculations. They had taken the
Germans word, had been inoculated
hnd had died within nine hours. Which
shows how foolish it is to believe a
derman. None of us had any doubt
put what the serum was poisonous.
The second day that we were in the
regular camp the Germans strung
barbed wire all around our barracks.
They told us we had a case of black
Eyphus among us. This was nothing
more nor less'than a bluff, for not one
pf us had typhus, but they put up the
wire, nevertheless, and we were not
allowed to go out.
One day when I was loafing around
Our barracks door and not having any
thing particularly important to do, l
packed a nice hard SNOWFALL and land
ed it neatly behind the ear of little
sentry not far away. When he looked
hround he did not blow his whistle but
began hunting for the thrower. This
was strange in German sentry and
thought he must be pretty good stuff.
When he looked around, however, all
ne saw was man staggering around
RS IF he were drunk. The man was
he one who had done the throwing, all
light, but the sentry could not be sure
~ AOA O0A 1O 1IGlu WOulu stay
ppte in the open and invite accidents
ike that. But still, who had done it?
So l just kept staggering around,
and the sentry came up to me and
ooked me over pretty hard. Then
hought for the first time that things
might go hard on me, but I figured
hat if 1 quit the play acting it would
5e all over. So staggered right up
TO the sentry and looked at him drunk
enly, expecting every moment to get
ne from the bayonet.
But he was so surprised that all he
O'uld do was stare. So stared back,
pretending that saw two of him, and
otherwise acting foolish. Then I guess
he realized for the first time that the
chances Of anybody being drunk in
hat camp were Small-at least for the
prisoners. He was rubbing his ear
I'll the time, but finally the thought
seeped through the ivory and he began
% laugh. 1 laughed, too, and the first
hing you know he had me doing it
again-that is, the imitation. One
SNOWFALL was enough, figured.
I used to talk to him quite often
fter that. We had no particular
owe for each other, but he was gamer
han the other sentries, and he did not
eli me schweinhund every time he saw
lc, SO we got on very well together.
lis name must have been Schwartz, I
hess, but it sounded like "Swatts" to
ne, so Swatts he was, and I was
Chink" to him, as everybody else
called me that
One day he asked me if I could
peak French, and 1 said yes. K&,an;
es. Russian; yes. No matter What
anguage he might have lHoe ioncd 1
would have said ,'cS. because I could
Flnell somethiD', II h. wind. and I
yas curious. Eic. h2 old me that if
went to The hospital and worked
here, l might get better meals and
WOULD not have to go so far for them,
nd that my knowing all the languages
said I did would help me a great
Ways toward getting the Job.
Evidently he had been told to get a
nan for the place, because he ap-
pointed me to it then and there. He
put me to work right away. We went
yer to one of the barracks, where s.
alSe of sickness had been reported,
nd found that the invalid was a big
Barbadoes negro named Jim, a fire.
nan from the Voltaire. At one time
I'm must have weighed 250 pounds,
ut by this time he was about two
ounds lighter than a straw hat, but
till black and full of pep. Light as
G was, was no "white hope" and it
gas all could do to carry him to the
ospital. Swatts kept right along be-
ind me, and every time / would stop
o rest, he would poke me with a
room-the only broom 1 saw in Ger
lany-and laugh and point to his ear.
Then thought it was frame-up
nd that he was getting even with me,
nut l was in for it then, and the best
could do was to go through with it.
But was all in when we reached the
hospital. The first thing / saw when