The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-11-29

- a '''' 1880 IAN
the beat they were walking and get out
Of the way when they saw q Cossack
coming. There were very few COss-
acks there, however. / do not think
they let themselves get captured very
often.
We had roll call every morning. OF
course, and were always mustered in
front of our barracks, the middle of
the line being right at the barracks
door. Sometimes when the cold got
too much for them, the men nearest
the door would duck into the bar
racks. AS they left the ranks the
other men would close up and this
kept the line even, with the center still
opposite the barracks door. Finally
almost all Of the men would be in the
barracks and by the time the roll was
over not one remained outside. This
seemed to peeve the German officers
a great deal, but they did not punish
for some time.
For several days l had noticed that
someone else answered for two men
who had disappeared at least l had
not seen them for some time. l did
not think much about 1t, or ask any
else talk about 1T, but l was pretty
sure the two men, a Russian and a
Britisher, had escaped. But they were
marked present at roll call and all
accounted for. Everything went along
very well until n day when the name
"FOntaine" got by without being an
swered. Fontaine was a French fire.
man from the Cambrian Range and
that was the first time he had not been
present. We saw what was coming
and we began to get pretty sore at
FOntaine for not telling us. so we could
answer for him and keep the escape
covered.
The minute they found our count
one short they blew the whistles and
q squad Of sentries came I'D as an
extra guard. They counted us again,
but by sneaking back Of the line and
closing up again we made the count
all right except for one man-Fon-
tame. We would have tried to cover
up for him, except that they had al
ready discovered his absence. Now,
we thought, they will nab Fontaine
but will not discover the escape of the
others.
But evidently they suspected some
thing, for soon they brought over a
petty officer from III. nj. S. Nomad.
who had not been with us before, and
forced him to call the roll from the
mastering papers, while they watched
the men as they answered. Then they
discovered that two more besides Fon-
taine were missing and began to search
for them.
The other two spoke German and
had been missing for at least three
days and, l think, had escaped by this
time. They were not returned while
/ was at ~Brandenburg.
This was about Z a. m. They drilled
us down to the little lake, where the
cold was much greater, and kept us
there until 8 p. M, without food or
drink. At about eight that morning
they found Fontaine in a French bar
racks and kicked him all the way to
he lake where we were.
All day long we stood there, falling
one by one and getting kicked or beat
en- each time until we dragged our
selves up again. Two or three died
l do not know the exact number. But
we had enough strength, when ordered
back to the barracks, to kick Fon-
tame ahead Of Us all the way. We
die not get anything to eat until seven
the x neutrality-suspicious. hours
without food and water, ten of which
were spent In the snow without any
election from the cold and wind.
No wonder We kicked Fontaine for
bringing this punishment on us and en-
dangering the two who had escaped
he had simply strolled over to the
French barracks and forgot to return.
Now, the food received was just
about enough to keep us alive. / sup
pose, with true kultur, the Huns had
figured out just how much it would
take to keep a man on this side of
the starvation line and gave us that
much and no more. So we were always
famished-always hungrier than you
probably ever have been. But some
times when we were ravenously hun.
CRY and could not hold out any longer
we would trade rations.
One man would trade his whole ra-
ton for the next day for a half ration
today. That is, If you were so hungry
that you thought you could not LAST
out the day on your regular share, VOC
would tell someone else that If he gave
you half his share today you would
give him all Of yours tomorrow. II he
was a gambler he would take you up.
That is, he would gamble on his belnS
alive tomorrow, not on your keeping
your word. He knew you would come
with your ration the next day.
and like as not, If you tried to keep II
from him, he would kill you. and no
body would blame him.
ITO pE rrNynrH,ryrD 1