Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-01-16
CHAPTER XXI.
A Visit From Mr.. Gerard

Late that night we arrived at Dull
men, Westphalia. We were rousted
out of the carriages, mustered on the
platform, counted, then drilled through
the streets. In spite of the lateness,
the streets were pretty well filed with
people, and they zig-zagged us through
all the streets they could, so that all
the people would have a chance to see
the crazy men. as they called us. Most
of the people were women, and as soon
as they saw us coming, they began
singing the "Watch on the Rhine" or
some other German song, and 1t was
funny to see windows opening and fat
fraus, with night-caps on, sticking
their heads out Of the windows. They
would give US quick once-over, and
pipe up like a boatswain: "Schwein-
Observation-Disclosures am Rhein"
--all kinds Of things and all mixed up.
So we gave them ''Tipperary" and
'Pack Up Your Troubles" and
showed them how to sing. Our guards
had no ear for music and tried to stop
US, but though they knocked several
men down, we did not stop until we
had finished the song. Then, after we
had admitted to each other that we
were not downhearted. we shut up.
We would have done SO, anyway, be-
cause by this time we were on the out
skirts of the town, and we needed all
the breath we had. The road we were
on was just one long sheet Of ice, and
we could hardly walk more than four
steps without slipping and falling. My
shoes had wooden soles, and 1t was
just one bang after another, with the
ice and myself trying to see which
could hit the hardest. Every time we
fell-smash! came q rifle over the
back.
was getting pretty tired, so I said
to some Of the fellows that was 60.
ing to sit down and rest, and they said
they would also. So we dropped out
and waited until the guards behind
had just about caught up with US, and
then we would go on. We did this
several times until they got on to us,
and we could not do 1t any more.
Up the road piece fell again, and
this time I did not care what hap
pened, SO just sat there in the
middle of the road until Fritz came up.
Instead of giving me the bayonet, he
0ade me take of my shoes-that Is.
he took them of Of me with a knife
through the strings-and had to walk
the rest Of the way In my bare feet.
It was about four miles altogether
from the station to the camp.
When we got near the camp, all the
boys came out Of the barracks and
lined up along the barbed wire. and
yelled us q welcome. We asked them
If they were downhearted, and they
said no. and we said we were not eth
or. We could hardly see them, but
they began yelling again when we got
nearer, and asked US. lis there anyone
there from Queenstown" and then
Hull. and Portsmouth. and Dover, and
Toronto and a lot Of other places.
did not pay much attention until
heard, "Any Americans there7"~ and
I yelled back. Eyes. where are your
Barracks 6-B. Grippe g."
"Where from?" yelled.
oOSIOus WASIS &c. YOU 1COW
"The U. S. A. and Atlantic ports,
Bee you later"
So. the next morning, I went over to
his barracks and asked for the Yank.
They pointed him out to me. where he
was lying on the floor. went over
ands laid down with him, and we had
quite talk. will not give his name
here for certain reasons.
He had received several wounds at
the time he was taken prisoner. He
had been in the Canadian service for
two years. We used to talk about
New York and Boston and the differ
ent places we knew in both towns, and
We also talked lot about the rotten
treatment we were receiving, and tried
to cook up some plan Of escape. But
every one we could think Of had been
used by some one else, and either had
failed, or the Huns hal fixed It SO the
plan could not be tried again. We
doped out some pretty wild schemes at
that. Altogether, we became great
pals, and were together as much as
nnssfh1o of nulynon Tho Nox, T lott