THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
'm Small Mini i ''"'"MM'MM""il'l'M'""''"l''i"W"il"WM'""W"
Outwitting the Hun
By LIEUTENANT PAT, O'BRIEN
(Copyright, 1018, by Pat A1t O'Brien)
AFTER WEEKS OF HARDSHIP O'BRIEN MEETS A FRIEND
WHO OFFERS TO HELP HIM ON HIS WAY.
8ynopsla I'at O'Brien, a resident of Momonco, UK, nftcr seeing
senrtco In the American Flying corps on the Mexican border In 1010,
Joins tho British Royal Flying corps In Canada, nnd after n brief train
ing porlod la Bent to France. He Is assigned to a Hquadron In nctlvo
Rorrlce on tho front He cnguges In several hot fights with German
flyers, from which ho emerges victorious. Finally, In a fight with four
German flyers, O'Brien Is shot down. Ilo falls 8,000 feet nnd, escaping
death by a miracle, awakes to find himself n prisoner In a German
hospital, with a bullet liolo In his mouth. After a few days In tho
hospital ho Is sent to a prison camp at Courtrai. After a short slay
there ho La placed upon a train bound for n prison camp In Germany.
Ho decides to take a desperate chanco for liberty. lie leaps through
tho open window of tho car while tho train la traveling 35 miles nn
hour, ills wounds reopened by tho fall, O'Brien almost literally
crawls through Germany and Luxembourg, traveling at night and
Bleeping by day, living on garbago nnd raw vegetables stolen from
gnrdena Ho Is driven almost to desperation by hunger nnd, reaching
Belgium, ho risks detection by going in tho middle of tho night to tho
homo of a Belgian family, where ho obtains tho first cooked food ho
bad tasted In 18 days.
CHAPTER X, Continued.
Tho knack of making flro with two
pieces of dry wood I hnd often read
about but I had novcr put It to a test
and for various reasons I concluded
that It would bo unsafe for mo to
build n flro even If I had matches. In
tho first place, there was no nbsolutc
need for It I didn't huvo anything
to cook nor utensils to cook It in even
If I had. Whllo tho nlr was getting
to bo rather cool at night, I was usu
ally on tho go at that tlmo and didn't
notlco It In the dnyllmo, when I
was resting or sleeping, tho sun was
usually out
To hnvo borrowed matches from a
itclglan peasant would have been feas
ible, but when I was willing to tnlco
the chanco of approaching anyone, it
was Just us easy to ask for food as
matches.
It the second place, It would havo
boon extremely dangerous to have
built a flro even if I hnd needed It
You can't build a flro In Bolglum,
which Is tho most thickly populated
country In Europe, without ovcryono
knowing It, and I was far from anx
ious to advertising my whereabouts.
Tho villages In that part of Bel
glum through which I was making my
courso were so closo together that
Oicro was hardly over an hour passed
without my hearing some clock strike.
Bvory villago has Its clock. Many
times I could hear tho clocks striking
in two villages nt tuo sumo time,
But tho hour hnd very llttlo interest
to me. My program wns to travel m
fast as I could from sunset to sunrlso
nd pay no uttcntion to tho hours in
between, and In tho dnytimo I had
only two things to worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep ua
possible
Tho cabbago that I got In Belgium
consisted of tho small heads that the
peasants hnd not cut All tho strength
dad concentrated in theso llttlo head
mid they would bo as bitter ns gull.
would havo to bo pretty hungry to
day beforo I could over eat cabbago
' again aud tho eaino observation ap
linos io carrots, turnips nnd sugar
koets especially sugar boots.
It Is rather a rcmarkabla thing thnt
toflny even a smell of turnips, raw o
cooked, makes mo sick, und yet a few
thort mouths ago my llfo depended
upon them.
Night tfter night as I searched fof
food, I was always In hopes thnt I
roignt como upon somo tomutocs co
celery vegetables which I really
liked, but with tho cxcoptlon of once
when I found somo celery, I wns nover
oo fortunnto. I ato so much of tlin
eolcry tho night I camo upon it tlutf
J was sick for two days thcrcaftci
ftut I carried several bunches away
with me and used to chow on It ns I
-walked nlong.
Of course, I kept my eyes open nil
tho time for fruit trees, but apparently
It was too lato in Uio year for fruit, n
Vll that I over was nblo to And word
two pears, which I got out of a tree,
rhit was ouo of my red-letter duys,
but 1 was never nblo to repeat it
In the brooks upd ponds that i
passed I often noticed flsh of different
kinds. Thnt was either In tho early
morning Just before I turned In for
the duy, or an moonlight nights when
the water seemed as clear In spot)
as In the daytime. It occurred to nw
that it would bo a simple matter to ri
n hook and lino and catch somo flsL
but I had no means of cooking then
and It was useless to flsh for the eak'i
f It
ono nignt in ucigium my courstj
took me through u dcsolato stretch oi
country which seemed to bo nbBoiutcly
uncultivated. I must huvo covered
twelve miles during tho night, without
passing a slnglo farm or cultivated
field. My stock of turnips which
bud picked the night beforo was gone
nnd -I planned, of courso, to get enough
to carry mo through tho following
day.
The North Stnr wan shining brightly
that night and there was absolutely
nothing to provent ray steering an ab
tolutely direct coum for Hollund and
liberty, but myVpath seemed to Ua
east or to tho west I could hear
faintly tho striking of villago bells,
and I knew that If I changed my
courso I would undoubtedly strike
farms and vegetables, but tho North
Star seemed to plead with mo to fol
low it and I would not turn aside.
when daylight came, tho conse
quence was I was empty handed nnd I
hnd to And a hiding plnco for tho day,
thought I would approach tho first
peasant I camo to nnd ask for food,
but thnt day I had misgivings a
hunch that I would get into froublo
If I did, nnd I decided to go without
food altogether for that day.
It was n foolish thing to do, I found,
becuuso I not only suffered greatly
from hunger all that day, hut It inter
fered with my sleep. I would drop off
to Bleep for half an hour, perhaps,
and during that time I would dream
that I wns free, back home, living n
llfo of comparatlvo ease, and then
would wnko up with u start und cntch
a gllmpso of tho hushes surrounding
me, feel the hard ground beneath mo
nnd tho hunger pangs gnawing nt my
sides, and then I would realize how
far from homo I really was, and
would lio thcro nnd wonder whether
would over really seo my homo
again. Than I would fall asleep ngnin
nnd dream this time, perhaps of tho
days I spent in Courtrai, or my leup
from tho train window, of tho Buva
rlan pilot whom I scut to eternity In
my hist air fight, of my tracer bullets
getting closer and closer to his head
nnd then I would wnko up again with
a start and thank the Lord that I was
only dreaming It all again instead of
living through itl
That night I got an early start be
causo I knew I had to havo food, and
I decided that rather than look for
vegetables I would tuko a chance and
apply to tho first Belgian peasant
whom I enmo to.
It was about, 8 o'clock when I camo
to a small house. I had picked up
heavy stono und had bound It in my
handkerchief and I wus resolved to use
it as a weapon if It became necessary
Alter all I had gono through, I was
resolved to win my liberty eventually
at whatever cost.
As It happened, I found that night
the first real friend I had encountered
in nil my traveling. When I knocked
timidly on tho door. It was opened by
potatoes and several slices of s'nle
bread, and ho warmed mc somo milk
on a Hrnall oil stove.
I nte ravenously nnd all tho time I
wns engaged I knew that ho was eye
ing me closely.
Before I wns half through ho camo
over to me, touching mo on tho shoul
der, and stooping over so that his Hps
almost touched my ear, ho said In
broken English. "You are nn Eng
lishman I know it and you can henr
and talk if you wish am I not right?"
Thcro was n smile on his face nnd
a friendly attitude about him that told
mo Instinctively thnt he could be
trusted, and I replied: "You have
guessed right only I nm nn Amcrl
cun, not an Englishman."
Ho looked at me pityingly nnd filled
my cup again with warm milk.
Ells kindness nnd apparent willing
ness to help me nlmost overcame mc,
and I felt llko warning him of tho
consequences he would suffer If tho
Huns discovered he had befriended
me. I had henrd that twenty Belgians
hnd been shot for helping Belgians
to cscnpo into Holland, nnd I hated
to think what might happen to this
good old Samaritan if the Huns ever
knew that he had helped an escaped
American prisoner.
After my meal was finished, I told
him in as simple language as I could
command of some of the experiences
I hnd gone through and I outlined my
futuro plnns.
"You will never bo nblo to get to
nollnud," ho declared, "without n
passport Tho nearer you get to tho
frontier tho moro German soldiers
you will encounter, nnd without a
passport you will be a marked man,
I nsked him to suggest a way by
which I could overcome tho difficulty,
no thought for several moments
nnd studied mo closely nil the time
perhaps endeavoring to make abso
lutely suro thnt I was not a German
spy and then apparently deciding in
my favor, told mo what he thought It
was best for me to do.
"If you will call on this mnn"
(mentioning tho name of n Belgian In
n city through which I had to
pass), ho advised, "you will bo ablo to
mako arrangements with him tose-
curo n prissport, and ho will do every
thing ho can to get you out of Bel-
glum."
Ho told mo whero tho man in ques
tion could bo found nnd gavo mo some
useful directions to continue my jour
ney, nnd then ho led mo to the door.
I thanked him a thousand times and
wanted to pay him for his kindness
nnd help but ho would accept nothing.
Ho did give me his name and you may
ho suro I shall never forget It, but to
mention It hero might, of course, re
sult in serious consequences for him.
When tho war Is over, however, or tho
Germans nro thrown out of Belgium,
I shall mako it my duty to find thnt
kind Belgian if I have to go through
again nil that I havo suffered already
to do it
CHAPTER XI.
"You Can Hear and Talk If You Wish
Am I Not Right?"
n Belgian pensnnt, about fifty years of
age. Ho nsked mo In Flemish what I
wanted, hut I shook my head anil
pointing to my cars nnd mouth lull
mated that I was deaf and dumb, und
then I opened nnd closed my mouth
several times to show hint that
wunted food.
Ho showed mo Inside aud snt mo at
tho table. Ho apparently lived alone,
for ids llhfurnlBhcd room had but ono
chair, und the plate und knifo nnd
fork ho put beforo me seemed to bo all
through j Id paVtufes. Far the he hud. He brought mo uomo cold
I Encounter German Soldiers.
What tho Belgian told mo about
tho need of a pnssport gave mo fresh
cause for worry. Supposo I should
run into a German sentry beforo I
succeeded In getting ono7
1 decided that until I reached tho
big city which tho Belgian hud men
tioned and which I cunnot name for
fear of Identifying some of tho peoplo
there who befriended me I would
proceed with tho utmost precaution.
Since I hud discarded my uniform
and hnd obtained civilian clothes, I
had not been qulto ns careful as I was
nt first Whllo I had done my trav
eling nt night I had not gono into
hiding so early In the morning ns
beforo nnd 1 hnd sometimes started
again before it was quite dark, rely
ing upon the fact that I would prob
ably bo mistaken for n Belgian on his
wny to or from work, ns tho case
might ho. From now on, I resolved,
however, I would take uo more
chnncos.
That evening I enme to n river per
haps seventy-five yards wide nnd
was getting ready to swim it when
thought I would walk n little way to
find, if possible, a better place to get
to tho river from the hank. I bad not
walked moro- than u few hundred
yards when I buw a boat. It was tho
first time I had seen n boat in nil my
experiences.
It was firmly chained, but ns tho
stakes wero sunk In tho soft bank it
was not much of a job to pull them
out. I got In, drunk to my heart's
content, shoved over to tho other side,
got out, drovo a stnko into tho ground
and moored tho boat. It would havo
been a simple matter to havo drifted
down tho river, but the river was not
shown on tho map nnd I had no idea
whoro it might load me. Very reluc
tnntly, therefore, I had to abandon
tho boat and proceed on foot
I mndo several miles thnt night and
before daylight found a safo placo in
which to lildo for tho day. From my
hiding placo I could seo through tho
bushes u heavy thick wood only
short dlBtunco away. I decided that
I would start cnrllor than usual, hurry
over to tho wood and perhups, in thut
way, I could cover two or three miles
In the daytimo and gain just so much
time. Traveling through tho wood
would be comparatively safe. There
was a railroad going through the
wood, but I did not figure that that
would make it any the less safe.
About threo o'clock that afternoon,
therefore, I emerged from my hiding
plnco nnd hurried into the wood.
After proceeding for hnlf n mllo or
so I came to the railroad. I took a
sharp look in both directions nnd see
ing no signs of trains or soldiers, I
wnlkcd boldly ovor the tracks nnd
continued on my wny.
I soon camo upon a clearing and
knew that somcono must 'be living in
tho vicinity. As I turned a group of
trees I saw a small house and in the
distance nn old mnn working in u
garden. I decided to enter the house
nnd ask for food, figuring the woman
would probably bo old und would bo
no match for me even If she proved
hostile. The old woman who camo
to the door in rcsponso to my knock
wns older than I expected. If she
wasn't closo to a hundred, I miss my
guess very much.
She could not speak English nnd 1
couiu not speak Flemish, or course,
but nevertheless I mndo her under
stnnd that I wanted something to cat
Sho came out of the door and hol
loed for her husband in a shrill voice
thnt would have done credit to n girl
of eighteen. The old man came in
from tho garden nnd between tho two
of them they managed to get the idea
thnt I was hungry and they gavo me
n piece of bread a very small plea
which was quite n treat
Tho houso they lived in consisted of
Just two rooms the 'kitchen and
bedroom. The kitchen was perhaps
fourteen feet square, eight feet of
ono side being tnken up by nn enor
mous fireplace. What was In the bed
room I liad no way of telling, as
did not dare to be too inquisitive.
I made the old couplo understand
thnt I would llko to stay In their houso
nil night, but the old man shook bis
head. I bade them good-by nnd dls
nppcared into tho woods, leaving them
to speculnto ns to tho strange for
eigner they had entertained.
From the grcnt density of the popu
lation In this section through which I
wns now passing I realized that I
must bo in the outskirts of the big
city which tho Belgian had mentioned
nnd whero I wns to procure a pass
port. Villngo after village intercepted mo,
nnd although I tried to skirt them
wherever possible I realized that I
would never mnko much progress if
I continued thnt course. To gain a
mllo I would sometimes have to make
u detour of two or three. I decided
thnt I would try my luck in golug
straight through tho next village I
camo to.
As I approached it, I passed num
bers of peasants who wero umbling
nlong tho road. I was afraid to mlnglo
with them becnuse It was impossible
for ono to talk to them nnd It was
dangerous to arouse suspicion even
among the Belgians. For nil I knew,
ono of them might he treacherous
enough to deliver me to tho Germans
in return for tho rewnrd he might be
suro of receiving.
About 9 o'clock that evening I
came to n point whero ahead of mo on
tho right was a Belgian police station
I knew it from its red lights and
on tho other sido of the street were
two German soldiers In uniform
leaning against a bicycle.
Here was a problem which called
for instant docislon; if I turned back
the suspicion of the soldiers would
be Instantly nroused and If I crossed
the rond so as not to pass so closely
to them they might bo equally sus
picious. I decided to march bravely
by tho nuns, bluff njy wny through
and trust to Providence. If nnyhody
imagines, however, that I wus nt nil
comfortable as I approached these
soldiers, ho must think I am a much
braver man than I claim to be. My
heart beat so loud I was ufruld they
would hear it. Every step I took
brought mc so much nearer to what
might provo to bo tho end of nil my
hopes. It wus n nerve-racking ordeal.
I was now within n few feet of
thorn. Another step and
They didn't turn a halrl I passed
right by them heard whut they wero
saying, although, of course, I didn't
give nwhy my nationality, I figured I
would be tolerably safe.
Am I marched along I felt so happy
I couldn't help humming tin nlr of ono
of tho new patriotic songs that wo
used to sing nt the nirdromo back in
Ypres.
In this happy frame of mind I cov
ered tho next three miles in about nn
hour and then camo to another llttlo
village. My usual course would havo
been to go around it through fields,
hack yards, woods or whatever else
lay in my way but I hnd gained so
much tlmo by going through tho last
village instead of dctourlng around
it nnd my appearance seemed to bo so
unsuspicious that I decided to try tho
same stunt again.
I stopped humming nnd kept very
much on tho alert, but apart from
thnt, I walked boldly through tho
main street without any feeling of
alarm.
I had proceeded perhaps a mile
along tho main street when I noticed
nhend of me three German soldiers
standing at the curb.
Again my heart started to beat fast,
I must confess, but I was not nearly
so scared as I had been nn hour or
so before.
I walked ahead, determined to fol
low my previous procedure In every
particular.
I hnd got to about fifteen feet nwny
from tho soldiers when one of them
stepped onto tho sidewalk and
shouted :
"Unit I"
My heart stopped beating fast for
a moment, I believe, it stopped beating
altogether! I can't attempt to de-
Last Photograph Taken of Lieutenant
O'Brien Before His Capture. With
.Him Is His Chum, Lieutenant Raney.
understand It, and went right on.
can't say I didn't walk a llttlo faster
as I left them behind, but I tried to
maintain un oven gait so as not to
give them any idea of tho Inward ex
ultation I was experiencing. No words
can explnln, however, how relieved
rcnlly felt to know taut I Una suc
ccHsfully passed through tho first of
n series of similar tests which I real
ized wero in store for mc although
I did not know then how soon I was
to bo confronted with tlio second.
As It wns, however, the Incident,
gavo mo n world ut confldcuce. It
demonstrated to mo that thero was
nothing In my nppearanco nt any rato
to attract tho attention of tho German
soldiers. Apparently I looked llko n
Belgian peasant, and If could only
work things so that I would nover
huvo to answer questions nnd thus
scribe my feelings. I thought that
tho jig was up that all I had gone
through nnd all I had escaped would
now avail mo nothing, mingled with
the feeling of disgust with my
self because of the foolish risk
had taken in going through the vil
lage, combined to take ail the starch
out of me, nnd I could feel myselr
wilting as the soldier odvunced to the
spot where I stood rooted in my
tracks.
I had u bottle of water In ouo pocket
nnd u piece of bread in the other, and
ns the Hun ndvnnced to search me
held the bottle up in one hand nnd
tho piece of brend in the other so that
he could seo that was all I had.
It occurred to me thnt ho would
"frisk" me that is, feel me over for
arms or otlier weapons, tnen place
mo under arrest and march me off to
the guardhouse. I had not the slight
est Idea but that I was captured and
there didn't seem to bo much use In
resisting, unarmed us I was and with
two other German soldiers within
few feet of us.
Like a flash it suddenly dawned on
mc, however, that for all tills soldier
could havo known I wns only n Bel
glan peasant and that his object In
searching mc, which ho proceeded to
do, wns to ascertain whether I had
committed tho common "crime" of
smuggling potatoes.
Tho Belgians were allowed only n
certain amount of potntoes, nnd It is
ngnlnst tho Inws laid down by the
Huns to deal In vegetables of nny
kind except under the rigid suporvl
slon of tho authorities. Nevertheless,
it was one of the principal vocations
of tho average poor Belgian to buy
potatoes out In the country from
peasants nnd then smuggle them into
tho large cities and sell them clan
destinely at a high price.
To stop tills tralllc in potatoes, tho
German soldiers were In tho habit of
subjecting tho Bciglnns to frequont
search, and I was being held up by
this soldier for no other reason than
that lie thought I might bo n potato
smuggler I
He felt of my outsldo clothes nnd
pockets, and finding no potntoes
seemed to be quite satisfied. Hud ho
but known who I wns ho could have
earned nn Iron cross 1 Or, perhaps. In
view of the fact thut I hnd a iicavy
wnter bottle In my uplifted hand, it
might havo turned out to bo a wooden
cross I
Ho said something in German,
which, of courso, I did not understand,
nnd then somo Belgian peasants came
along and seemed to distract his nttcn
tlon. Perhaps he had said: "U'h 11
right; you may go on," or ho may-
have been talking to the others In
Flemish, but nt uny rate, observing
that lie was mora Interested la tho
others than he wns In mc at tho mo
ment, I put the bottle In my pocket
and walked on.
After I wnlkcd a few steps, I Wok h
furtive glance backward and noticed
tho sqldlcr who had searched mc re
join his comrades nt tho curb and then
stop another fellow who had como
along, nnd then I disappeared In tho
darkness.
I cannot say that the outcomo of
this adventure left me in the same
confident frame of mind thnt followed
tho earlier one. I wns suro I had
come out of it all right, but I could
not help thinking what a terribly close
shave I hud.
Suppose the soldier had questioned
mo I The ruse I had been following
In ray dealings with the Belgian peas
ants pretending I wns deaf and
dumb might possibly havo worked
here, too, but a soldier a German
soldier might not so easily havo been
fooled. It wns more than an even
chanco thnt it would have nt least
nroused his suspicion and resulted in
further Investigation. A search of
my clothing would have revealed a
dozen things which would have estab
lished my identity nnd all my sham
ming of deafness would havo availed
mo nothing.
As I wandered along I knew that I
wns now approaching the big city
which my Belglun friend had spoken
of und which I would have to enter
tf I was to get the passport and 1
realized now how essential It was to
have something to enable mo to get
through the frequent examinations
to which I expected to be subjected.
While I was still debating in my
mind whether It wns going to bo pos
sible for mc to enter the city that
night, I saw in the distance what ap
peared to be nn nrc light, and as 1
nearcd it that was what it turned out
to be. Beneath tho light I could
make out tho forms of three guards,
and tho thought of having to go
through tho same kind of ordeal that
I hnd just experienced filled me with
misgivings, Was It possible that 1
could he fortunuto enough to get by
again?
As I slowed up a little, trying to
make up my mind what was best to do,
wns overtaken by a group of Bel
gian women who were shuffling along
the rond, und I decided to mingle
with them nnd see if I couldn't convey
tho Impression that I wns one oi
their purty.
As we approached the arc light the
figures of those threo soldiers with
their spiked helmets loomed before
llko a regiment I felt as If I ware
walking right Into the jaws of dentil.
Rather than go through what was in
store for me, I felt' thnt I would In
finitely prefer to bo fighting again in
the air with those four desperate
Huns who had been tho cause of my
present plight then, nt least 1
-would have a chance to fight back.
but now I hud to risk my life and
take what was coming to me without
a chance to strike n blow in my own
defense.
I shall never forget my feelings as
we camo within the shaft of light pro.
Jectcd by that great arc -light nor the
faces of those three guards as w
passed by them. I didn't look directly
at them, but out of the corner of my
eye I never missed a detail. I held a
handkerchief up to my face as wo
passed them and endeavored to Imh
tatc the slouching gait of the Belglnni
ns well us I could, nnd apparently it
worked. Wo walked right by those
guards nnd they paid absolutely no
attention to us.
If ever n fellow felt like going down
on his knees and praying I did at that
moment, but It wouldn't have done to
show my elation or gratttude in that
conspicuous way.
It wns then well after 11 o'clock and
I knew It would bo unsafo for me to
attempt to find n lodging place in thj
city, and tho only thing for me to do
was to locate the man whose name the
Belgian had given me. He had given
me a good description of the street
nnd had directed mo how to get thero,
and I followed his Instructions closely.
After walking tho streets for about
half an hour, I came upon one of the
landmarks my friend hnd described to
mo and ten minutes afterwards I was
knocking at the door of the man who
was to mako it possible for mo to reach
Holland and liberty l At least that
was what I hoped.
O'Brien Is promised help in
getting across the frontier to
Holland, but Just as he Is re
joicing over the prospect of
early freedom, he Is rudely
awakened from his dream.
Read about It In the next Installment
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Wood Grapple Saves Work.
The bundling of logs by means of a
era no equipped with a good grapplo
Is not only moro spectnculur than tho
old method, but It effects un immense
saving in labor and has made K pos
sible to pile logs to a great height
Similar outfits are used in handling
ties, posts, pulp wood. etc. Iho grap
ple Is made llko n clamshell bucket
except that tho scoops are replaced by
curved steel tines, in tho grasp of
which a largo number of logs can bo
held at once. Popular Mechanics
Magazine.
Tho Roman catacombs are 5S0 miles
In extent, nnd it Is estimated that
something llko 15.000.00n u ad aro
thero Interred.