Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

ition. , -, -
It was understood that when British
sentrieS heard q certain low whistle ap.
preaching their trenches they were no.
to fire. But the drumming of the rair
drowned the faint signal. And Saunders
knew that his only chance of escaping
British bullets would be to get near
enough to the front trench to be heard
Before he had got that far he was
seen. With a curse he realized that
British bullets were sending up spurts
of mud about him.
Then the firing by the British sud-
denly ceased. Saunders, who did no.
know why, had to make up his mind
as to the reason. Did they think him
dead and worth no more bullets? Or
did the silence mean, welcome backi T.
| If the information he was bringing
was to be OF much good no more time
could be lost IN delivering it.
SO out of his shell hole Saunders
| crawled, rose and dived forward as If he
were a player on foot bell field.
From across the mass of mud the
! slipping, sliding figure. His very breath
was almost choked with mud in mouth
and nostrils. Two bullets ripped his
coat. But at last: Saunders slid down
into the liquid mud of the British 'front.'
line trench.
And when on -" day British gun
ners began their bombardment they
knew fairly we'll what they we're firing
at.
For some unknown reason Saunders
escaped citation for the: feat. His very
name has dropped out of the records
All that is known is that he survived the
war and merged into the great mass Of
men who lead inconspicuouS civilian sx-
iStences.
& :. <
MO one race or nationality monopo-
Lies the pinch hitter" type, ana
an exploit similar to Saunders with. if
possible, even more dash and color in 1t,
is to be recorded on the German side Of
the same war
Wolfgang FranckS had spent years n
the British colonies searching employ
ment for talents which, up to the time
of our story had not distinguished him.
He had tried sheep ranching in Aus
tralia and lost money. He was in bust
ness in Bombay and failed. He had TO
better luck with a newspaper venture in
Cape Town.
LAAC OduIlucIS, IIc was OI ILldL Ill.
deterElinate type that looks either Brit
ish or German, according to the cut
OF clothes or hair. And years in British
colonies had given Francis perfect
command not only of English but also
of several of its dialects.
Throughout it all Francis kept his
love for his fatherland and at the ap-
proach of war he hurried home and
Joined the army. Like Saunders, he
was Enthusiastically a routine man.
A virtue in any soldier, this quality
gained for him in the German army
promotion until he became q major.
Then things began to go badly with
the Turks. Germanys allies. The
British In Asia Minor were showing too
hard. Francis. who had been plodding
along in the artillery, got word of Ger
many's peril in Palestine. He, too, like
Saunders, went to his superior officer
He knew the Jaffa-Jersalem country,
F'ranckS told him, and suggested that
he be transferred to the secret service
in Asia Minor
At his suggestion he was furnished
the uniform of a British officer and
before several secret service chiefs he
gave a little theatrical performance
He enacted the part of captain in
the Australian contingent, letting an
awkward squad have the full benefit
of sheep raiser's profanity. Then he
strutted up and down in the manner
of a passed staff college" colonel in
specting a rival officers formation
With each masquerade went appropri-
ate language. '-'- = \
The German intelligence service had
intelligence enough to take Francks on
He took with him as equipment several
British uniforms, tabs, "pips," numbers
and other devices. When he got down
to Palestine he was given several weeks
In which to study the military situa-
ton there.
He was still studying it when word
came that the British were planning
big push" on the Jaffa-J Jerusalem
line. He was not ready for his VEN
.ture into the British camp, but the
rumored offensive made it case of
now or never The Turks had to know
what was being planned and they had
to know it in a hurry.
To get into the British camp was
the least of Francks' problem. 1t was
not, as in Picardy, a question Of wad-
ing through shellholes and mud, every
inch of it closely watched by both Sides
The British and the Turkish lines
paralleled each other until they thin
ned out into a sort of neglected no
mans land in the sand. If one went
far enough he. could slip around the
end of either line into the other camp
The problem was to remain in that
camp long enough to learn anything
and get back safely.
But also the problem fired Francks
to impatient action. Instead of sneak
ing into the British camp around the
end of the trench line he went by way
of air. It was on a moonless night that
Fokker plane took him up and over
the British lines. At the height OF
$4,000 feet Francks took bundle under