The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-07-10

as the German uniforms were the
same color, and / had suffered too
many privations and too many narrow
escapes TO lose all at this time by
jumping at conclusions.
/ had just turned off the road to so
back into some bushes when out of
the darkness / heard that dread Ger
man command:
Halt! Halt !"
He didn't need to hollcr twice. l
heard and needed the first time. Then
| heard another man come running up,
and there was considerable talking,
but whether they were Germans or
Hollanders l was still uncertain. He
evidently thought someone was on the
other side Of the fence
Finally / heard one Of them laugh
and saw him walk back 10 the sentry
station where the guard was billetedt
ana I crawled little nearer TO Try Ia
mako out just what Il meant l had
begun to think it was ali a night
mare.
Between myself and the light in th5
sentry station, ! then noticed tne
STOPPING figure Of a man bending Owe
rs If to conceal himself aud on hi
head was the spiked helmet Of a Ger
man s0idier!
I knew thea what another narrow
escape | had had, for / am quite SUR
he would have shot me without core
mony IL ! had foolishly made MYSELF
known. l would have been buried q
once and no enc would have been any
wiser, even though, technically speak
ing, l was on neutral territory aad in
mune from capture or attack.
This new shock only served TO be.
wilder mo more. was completely
lost There seemed TO De frontier be.
hind me and frontier in front OF me.
/ Evidently, however, what had hap
poned was that I had lost my sense
OF direction and had wandered IN the
are Of circle, returning to the same
fence that / had been so long in set
ting through This solution Of the
mystery came to me suddenly and / TT
oree searched the landscape for some
thing in the way of q landmark to
| guide me. For once my faithful
friend, ihe North Star, had failed me
The sky was pitch black and there
wasn't a star In the heavens.
In the distance. at about what ap.
peared to be about three miles away
but which turned out to Ne six, I could
discern the lights OF viliage, and
knew ii must be a Dutch village, as
Lights are not allowed In Belgium il
that indiscriminate way.
My course was now clear. | would
make Decline for that village. Before
/ had gone very far I found myself il
a marsh or swamp ana | turned bach
a little. hoping to find a better path
| Finding none, ! retTaced my step,
and kept straight ahead, determined
to reach that village at all costs ant
10 sBerve neither to the right or lef
until ] got there.
One moment ] would be In water NJ
to my knees and the next would sinl
in mud clear up TO my waist. | pait
no attention to my condition. 1t wa,
merely repetition Of what had gon,
through many times before, but this
time ] had a definite goal and once
reached it l knew my troubles woulC
be over.
1t took me perhaps three hours t
reach firm ground. The path ! strucl
led to within half q mile Of the village
shall never forget that path; it wa.
almost rs welcome 10 my feet as tn,
| opposite bank of the Mouse hat
! seemed
The first habitatiGn / came to was
! little workshop With a bright ligh
shining outside. 1t must have beer
after midnight, but the people lnsld'
were apparently just quitting work
| There We're three men and two boy!
engaged in making wooden shoes.
1t wasn't necessary for me to ex
| plain to them that I was refugee
| even if | had been able to speak theil
! language | was called with mud III
TO my shoulders and l suppose my fac'
must have recorded some Of the e9s
| periences l had gone through tina
memorable night.
81 want the British consult l tolt
{ them.
Apparently they didn't understand
but one Of them volunteered to con
duct me to the village. They seemed
to be only too anxious to do all they
could for me; evidently they realized
was Il British soldier.
It was very late when my compan
ion finally escorted me into the vii
lage, but he aroused some people h,
knew from their beds and they
dressed and came Down to feed me.
The family consisted Of an old lady
and her husband and a son, who was 9
soldier in the Dutch army. The cold
shivers ran down my back while he sal
beside me, because every now and
again I caught a glimpse of his gray
uniform and it resembled very much
that Of the German soldiers.