Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-20

so ANXIOUS TO leave that camp, and
the quicker the better.
1t was well guarded. however. and
what with four roll calls a day one
had to do some tall thinking to
work out a plan that would succeed.
There being two English officer avi-
ators in camp, also we soon became
acquainted. and began doping out
way to get past those two fences
without stopping a bullet. First,
however, we had to get some grub,
and this took time, even though
some French prisoners worked in
the kitchen. The Englishmen had
no money and bread and bribery
came high. However, 1 had some
and soon set the wheels in motion
for a loaf of black bread. 1t was n
long time coming. Meanwhile, 1
scratched, hunted "cooties' and
talked over ways and means of get
ing away with the Englishmen, de-,
Gliding on the route to take by the
map-they had. Not being able to
get hold on any wire cutters we fin
ally decided to- wait for a rainy,
dark night and then climb the fence
trusting to the awful weather to
keep Fritzie in his little cabin, and
thus from seeing us.
Waiting For Bread.
That being settled we waited for
the breadt to materialize. While we
were waiting we heard of the peace
talk. This made the Englishmen
hesitate. What was the use of es-
Gaping If peace was so near, for es-
Gaping meant n serious game of hide
n Il A~lan
This hesitation and reasoning made
me rather sore. for according to the
way l doped it out, if peace talk
there was, surely it would last a
month before anything definite
came of it-and I'll be jiggered if
l was going to house, feed and warm
100000 Boche "cooties' for that
length of time. Not, by golly, If l
saw a chance to beat it. And so, the
days passed with nothing to vary
the monotony except the eating
ability of my French comrades.
Never have l ran across a race that
could eat as much and so often and
still remain hungry. OF course, be-
ing in this camp, hunger was TO be
expected, but later when I was re-
turning with other prisoners and we
had plenty to eat, 1 noticed this
trait. They seemed to be endeavor-
ing to make up for all the time lost.
AS for this particular camp. the 9TH
er sergeants and adjutants with me
lived very WELL Some were even
getting fat on it, those which had
some money, for they would buy
vegetables and sometimes maize
flour from the returning working
parties. That some of 1t was swiped
from the kitchen goes without say
ing. Anyway, someone or other al
ways had some sort of a stew steam
ing on the fire, stew, however,
without meat, for meat seemed to be
something neither to be bought or
stolen, and that was horse meat at
that. If beef was ever used in our
soup l never discovered any, for the
few times 1 really did find any meat
rest of the afternoon. Believe me,
used them for chewing gum the
anyone of us would have been
thankful for any kind of steak,
horse, mule or dog.
The Tale of the Cat.
One day I saw a Frenchman como
stalking proudly in with his working
party, carrying a large cat by the
tail. 1t was the regular house va
riety of tabby. and whatever possess
ed him to kill it got me. Being Gu
rious l watched to see what he
would do with it. My curiosity was
soon satisfied, and probably his
hunger, for he prompaly skinned,
and ate 1t. watched enviously all the
time by his comrades, and would
you believe it, even the Boche re-
quired a share of that, taking the
skin.
(To Be Continued.)