The state herald., 1919-06-20
CHAPTER xxIl-contInued.

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The day we were transferred to tn
regular prison barracks four hundre'
Russians and Belgians were buried
Most of them had died from cholera
typhoid and inoculations. We hear,
from the prisoners there before us tina
the Germans had come through tn,
camps with word that there was al
epidemic Of black typhus and choler,
and that the only thing for the men t
do was to take the serum treatment t.
avoid catching these diseases. Most o.
the four hundred men had died from
the inoculations. They had taken thu
Germans word, had been inoculatet
and had died within nine hours. Which
shows how foolish It is to believe 9
German. None Of m had any doubt
but 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 case Of black
typhus among us. This was nothing
more nor less than a blum. for not one
Of us had typhus. but they put up the
wire, nevertheless, and we were not
allowed to 60 out.
One day when was lOafing around
our barracks door and not having any
thing particularly important to do. !
packed nice hard SNOWFALL and land
ed 1t neatly behind the ear Of little
sentry not far away. When he looked
around he did not blow his whistle but
began hunting for the thrower. This
was strange In a German sentry and
thought he must be pretty good stuff.
When he looked around, however. all
he saw was a man staggering around
as II he we're drunk. The man was
the one who had done the throwing. all
right, but the sentry could not be sure
Of 1t. for surely no man would stay
out In the open and invite accidents
like that. But still. who had done TT
So / Just kept staggering around.
and the sentry came up to me and
looked me over pretty hard. Then /
thought for the first time that things
might 60 hard on me. but I figured
that II / quit the play acting It would
be all over. So staggered right up
to the sentry and looked at him drunk
enly. expecting every moment to get
one from the bayonet.
But he was SO surprised that all he
could do was stare. So stared back.
pretending that I saw two Of him. and
otherwise acting foolish. Then / guess
he realized for the first time that the
chances Of anybody being drunk In
that camp were small-at least for the
prisoners. he was rubbing his ear
all the time. but finally the thought
seeped through the ivory md he began
TO laugh. laughed. too. and the first
thing you know he had me doing II
again-that Is. the imitation. One
SNOWFALL was enough, I figured.
used to talk TO him quite often
after that We had no particular
love for each other. but he was gamer
than the other sentries. and he did not
call me schweinhund every time he saw
me. 30 We got on very well together.
His name must have been Schwartz,
gYess, but Il sounded like "Swatts' to
NE, 70 swatts he was. and I was
:Chink" ts him. as everybody else
called rs that. = ~
One day he asked me II could
speak French, and said yes. Italian (;
yes. Russian; yes. No matter what
language he might have mentioned I
would have said yes. because ! could
smell something In the wind. and
was curious. Then he told me that II
] went to the hospital and worked
there. ! might get better meals md
would not have to 20 NO far for them.
and that my knowing all the languages
said did would help me . great
ways toward getting the job.
Evidently he had been told 10 get q
man for the place. because he ap.
pointed me to II then and there. He
put me to work right away. We went
over to one Of the barracks. where a
case Of sickness had been reported
and found that the invalid was . big
Barbadoes negro named Jim. . fre.
man from the voltnire. AZ on~ time
jim must have weighed $50 pounds
but by this time he was abmt two
pounds lighter than n straw hat. bul
still black and full Of pep. light a
he was. was NO white hops." and I,
was all could do to carry him to thu
hospital. Swatts kept right aloas b
hind me. and every time would sto,
70 rest. he would poke me with I
broom-the only broom I saw In Ger
many-and Laugh and point TO his ear
Then ] thought II WAS = frameuI
and that hs was getting even with me
but was IN for II then. and the bes
could do was to 60 through with II
but I US al In when we reached IN,
hospital. The nrnt thing ! saw whst
We got In he door was another negro
also from Basbadoss. and ~ tall a,
hin ~ jim had once been short -,
fat. This black boy aud I made ,
great team. bst ! never knew wha
bis name was. ] always called hin
kate. because night end day he wa
s~AG~stt.s AL. IA ...... U.s-