Part 10 (1/2)

After I had gathered my luggage together I was marched back to my cell.

Again my spirits drooped upon being asked to give my English address. I saw it all! In my highly strung condition I took this latest expression of Teuton methods to mean that my goods were to be sent home, but that I would have to suffer some dire penalty. I nursed this dark imagining because the prison treatment was not relaxed one iota. I pa.s.sed a restless half-hour. I was heavy-eyed from want of sleep, while my face had a.s.sumed a sickly, revolting pallor from rapidly collapsing health.

Again I was summoned to the Commandant's office. My goods were exactly as I had left them thirty minutes before.

[*large gap]

I was busily strapping up my goods when the door opened to admit the Commandant, guard and four other prisoners, whom I had not seen before.

One tall, good-looking, sprucely dressed fellow impressed me. He looked like a fellow-countryman. I went up to him.

”Are you English?” I asked.

”Holy smoke! What a treat to hear an Englishman. 'Put it there,'” and he extended his hand. I proffered mine which he shook as if it were a pump handle. He with others had been arrested, not as spies, and had been detained in Wesel Arresthaus. But being wealthy he had experienced an easy time.

”What are they going to do with us?” I enquired.

”Why, haven't you heard? They're going to send us to a hotel and then it won't be long before we strike good old England once more!”

[*large gap]

The party were in high spirits. But I was not so elated. I had every occasion to be suspicious of German bluff and inwardly would only believe we were going home when I was safely out of the country. My fellow-countryman, F---- K----, who is a well-known figure in City commercial circles, was wildly excited, and was discussing his future arrangements very keenly.

An escort appeared to accompany us to the mysterious ”hotel” about which the Commandant had been talking so glibly. We swung out of the prison.

Glancing at the clock I saw the time was 8.30 p.m. As the main gate clanged behind me I pulled myself together, a new man. My eight days'

solitary confinement had come to an end.

We tramped the street, the people taking but little notice of us.

Presently we met a big party of tourists advancing and also under escort. They proved to be the pa.s.sengers of the pleasure steamer _Krimhilde_, who had been detained. When they saw me, unkempt, ragged, blood-stained, and dirty they immediately drew away. They took me for an excellent specimen of the genus hobo. Within a few seconds however they learned something about my experiences and became very chummy. F---- K---- communicated the fact that we were bound for an hotel, and the spirits of one and all rose.

The escort who had accompanied us from the prison here handed us over to that accompanying the tourists and we marched to the station. A train was waiting and we stepped aboard at nine o'clock. There appeared to be as many soldiers as pa.s.sengers. The members of my party confidently thought the train was bound for a point near the frontier or a restricted area by the seash.o.r.e. But I was not to be lulled into a false sense of security. I questioned one of the officers and ascertained our destination. Returning to the party I laughingly asked, ”Do you know for what hotel we're bound?”

”No! What is it? Where is it?” came the eager request.

”The military camp at Sennelager!”

PRISON TWO--SENNELAGER

THE BLACK HOLE OF GERMANY

CHAPTER VI

OUR ”LUXURIOUS HOTEL”

Although it was 9.25 Tuesday evening when we boarded the train in Wesel station, _en route_ for the ”luxurious hotel where we were to receive every kindness consistent with the n.o.blest traditions of German honour,”

there did not appear to be any anxiety to part with our company. There were about sixty of us all told, and we were shepherded with as p.r.o.nounced a display of German military pomp and circ.u.mstance as would have been manifested if the All-Highest himself, had been travelling.