Show outwitting AF Is r T 4 T ING T HUN by lieutenant bat brien copyright 1013 br pt pst alva alv obrien len CHAPTER XV 11 continued 12 1 I beckoned to the chouleur chou Heur to 0 go with mo me up to this office ns as I 1 had no money money with which to pay him and when ho he got to the consulate coo sulata I 1 told them that it if they would pay the taxi tare fare I 1 would toll tell them who I 1 was waa and how low I 1 happened to bo be they know at ones once that 1 was nu an escaped prisoner and they readily paid ahe chauffeur and invited me to g give lie ionic somo account of myself myse lf they treated ino inc most cordially and were intensely interested in the tho brief account I 1 gave them hem of my addon adventures word was sent bent to tho the consul general anti and lie he immediately mant for ine me when 1 I went in ho he shook hands bands with we ino greeting me ine very heartily and of offering forIng mo me a chair lie ile then sat down screwed a monocle on his eye and viewed kiewe d tue me from top to too toe I 1 could see that IYe breeding eding kept pt him from laughing at the I 1 presented present pd I 1 could roe eco he wanted to laugh in tile tho worst w I 1 1 go ahead and laugh I 1 I 1 said you cant offend me the way I 1 feel this blessed dayl day I 1 and he needed tro no second invitation incidentally it gave me a chanco to laugh at him for I 1 was about na as much amused as aa lie ho was after ho he had laughed himself about alck he got up and slapped TOO me on tho the back and invited pie me to tell him my story etory Lieuter lieutenant tant he said when I 1 had concluded you can ahn have anything yon want wand I 1 think your experience entitles entities you yon to it well consul I 1 replied 1 I would like n babli anth a shave a haircut and some civilized clothes about as badly ds as a roan man ever needed them I 1 suppose but before that I 1 would liki like to get a cable ok off to america to fo my lily mother telling ming lier her that I 1 nm am safe and on my way to england I 1 the 1110 consul gave ane the noc necessary essary information and I 1 had the hie satisfaction of at knowing before I 1 left the office that them the cable with its good tidings was on its way to america then lie cent for one of the naval men who had been interned there since the beginning of the war bud who wits was able to speak dutch and told him 0 to o tako good care of me after I 1 had bad been bathed and shaved and had 4 bought some new clothes and had something to cat baj and I 1 felt like a new man asi As I 1 walk walked red through the streets of 0 rotterdam breathing the air of freedom again and realizing that there was no longer any danger of being captured and taken back to prison it was a wonderful sensation I 1 dont believe there will ever bo be a country that will appear in my eyes quite as good as holland did then I 1 had to be somewhat careful however because holland was full of german spies and I 1 know knew they would bo be keen I 1 ao 0 learn oil they possibly could about my escape and my iny adventures so that the authorities in belgium could mete out punishment to everyone who avas in any respect to blame for it As aal iwas was in rotterdam only one day they have very much opportunity to learn anything frona from me tho the naval officer who accompanied me and acted as interpreter fot for me inc introduced me to many other soldiers arid sailors who had escaped from del bel glum when the germans took antwerp and hs as they had arrived in hoi jand iland in uniform and under arms the laws cawi of neutrality compelled their internment tern ment and they had been there oyer ever since thellie Thell te of a man who avila Is interned in a neutral county I 1 learned Is anything but satisfactory lie ile gets ono one inon montha tha year to visit his home it ill ho lives in england that hat Is not so BO bad but it if lie he happens to live alv farther away tile the time has haa to spend with zito his folks is very short as tho the months month t leave does docs not tako tilso nto consideration the time consumed in traveling to and from holland the possibility 0 escape from hoi 1101 land la Is always there but ahn british authorities have an agreement with the dutch government to send refugees back immediately hi this re eject therefore the position of a man who ii Is interned la Is worse than that of is a prisoner who if lie he does docs succeed in making his te escape Is naturally received with open arms in n his native land apart from this restraint however internment with all its drawbacks Is a thousand dine yes a nul lion ion times better than being a prisoner of war afi n germany it seems to roe me that when the war Is over and the men who haye been imprisoned in germany return home they should be given a bigger and greater reception than the most victorious army that ever marched laurel led into a city for they will rill have suffer suffered edi and gone through more than tile the world will ever be able toi to understand no douht doubt you will find in the german prison camps one or two fainthearted lildia individuals with a pronounced yellow streak who voluntarily gave up lip the struggle and gave vp mp their lab liberty rather than risk their lives or imbs these sad cases bo however wever ore am ai am sure extremely fqy far nine hundred and ninety nine out tt it a thousand of the mert men lighting in the lines rattle rather r do ba lubba U tho front trenches tren dies lighting fighting every day with nil all tho ilia horrors and all nl the risks than lie be a n prisoner of war in Cler germany for the ilia men la in francq franc hayo have a very keen realization of nhut hat taint means mean rut but to return to my day in darn dam after I 1 was fixed fired up I 1 returned to the consulate and arrangements were avre made for or roy my transportation to england nt aj once fortunately there waa vast a boat leaving that very night and I 1 was allowed to 0 take tako passage on it epst ask aa wo we were leaving rotterdam tho 06 boat I 1 was on rammed bur own convoy one ot of tho the dc aud injured it so badly that it had to pu put 1 t back to port it would have been a strange climax to my illy adventure it if tile the disaster had resulted in tile tho sinking at 61 my bosit boat and I 1 had lost ost iny illy life while on tny my way to england after having ila successfully outwitted outfitted the auns tuns but ray my luck waa with me ine ta the last and while the accident re suited in some delay our bilat was not seriously dailin damaged ged and made tile tho trip over in schedule time and without further accident another destroyer having havort been assigned to wort esc ort u us through the danger zone in ili place of the one which had been put out of commission when I 1 arrived in london ilia reaction from tho the strain I 1 had been under for nearly three dontely became up apparent parent sly ily nerves were in such a state that it was absolutely impossible ter for mo me to cross tile tho street without being in deadly fear of bein being grun run over or trampled I 1 stood at the curb like an old woman from ilia coti country on her first visit to the city and I 1 would not venture across until some knowing policeman recognizing my condition camo came to roy MY assistance si and convoked conveyed me lie across indeed there was ft great number of english officers at homo home at all times getting back their nerved nerves after a B long spell of 0 active service at the fro front nt so BO that my condition iw anything but novel to the london bobbles it t was not many days however horev before 1 I regained control ot of myself and felt in first cla class s shape although the british authorities in holland had bad wired my rubt mother lier from holland that 1 I was sate safe and on my way to england the first thing I 1 did when we landed was to send her ft a cable myself the cable read no aa follows mrs mis M U J obrien len momence Mo mence e ill TJ S A just escaped from germany letter follows As I 1 delivered it to tho ilia cable di dispatcher s I 1 could just imagine tho the exultation ul with which my mother would receive it and tho the pride she bile would feel as sibe sho exhibited it among her neighbors and friends I 1 could hear the volley of 1 I told you BOS that greeted her good tidings t 0 I 1 it would I 1 take more than the tho kaiser kalser to keep pat pal in ln germany I 1 could hear boar one of them saying know knew hed bo be back for christmas anyway I 1 could hear another remark 1 I had an idea that put pat and his comrades might spend christmas in berlin I 1 could hear another admitting but I 1 did not think any other part of germany would appeal to him very much mrs did pat write you how many german prisoners lie ho brought back with I 1 child hear still another credulous inquiring ing it was all very amusing amusin and gratt ry flug ing to we me and I 1 must confess I 1 felt quite cocky as I 1 walked into the war department td report for the next five duys days I 1 was kept answering questions put to mo inc by the military authorities regnard regarding what I 1 had observed vedas ns to conditions in germany and behind tho the lines what I 1 reported was down by a stenographer and made part of the clat records r but I 1 did not give them roy my story in narrative forto form the tha information I 1 was waa ablo able to give was naturally of interest to various branches of the service and expert in every line of government work took it in turns to question me one rooming morning would be devoted tor for In instance to answering questions of n military nature german methods behind tile the front line trenches tactics morelo of troops ani am 1 l similar Bl Killar matters then the aviation experts would tuko take a whack at mo me ond and discuss with ino ine nil all I 1 had observed of german allying corps Ineth methods and equipment then nguan agala tho the food experts would interrogate luo inc ns an to what X had learned earned of food dondIt conditions ions in germany luxembourg mud and belgium und and us lis I 1 had brat lived pretty close to tha ilia ground for the best p part of seventy two days I 1 wits able to give them some borne fairly accurate r reports ports e a ns to actual agricultural conditions many of tile the things I 1 told them aply having more to them than they ila and to vie me there were many things I 1 had observed which I 1 have not referred to lu in paged because their to us be diminished if t the know wo nv were c re awnee of at them but key were oil all report reported iod to uia tho guthorl ties aind and it wils very gratifying to roo MO to hear that tile tho exports experts considered somo of them at 0 tho 06 greatest value out of tile the most ti musing incidents incident of my return occurred when I 1 called cal ledat at my baill c rs in Loli volition tion to get my per p er honal effects eff octo N tile prococo in ili tho ilia lloyal flying corps when 1 a pilot Is reported aits nits missing bill la Is to havo have two of his comrades d to go through ills his belong lugs chock them averi over destroy anything that it might mig it not be to ills his interest to preserve and solid scud tile tho rholo business to his banker or tits hla home as tho the case may bo be every letter ts Is read nad through gli but their contents to la never afterwards discussed or revealed in any way war if the pilot Is finally reported dead lit ins s effects are arc forwarded to tits his next of ddn but while lie ho la Is officially fici ally only missing or Is known to bo be a prisoner of war they fire kept either nt at tho ilia squadron headquarters or sent to ilia his bankers in my lily case us as soon eoon as it was learned that I 1 had fallen frow conj tho ilia sky it was assumed that I 1 hod been killed and toy my chum paul rancy bancy and officer detailed to check over my illy effects tho the list they fiade and to which they affixed their signatures denatures as I 1 have previously mentioned Is now la in my possession and Is ono of the most treasured souvenirs of my adventure I 1 my trunk was sent to cox Ss co in duo due course and now that I 1 was waa in ill london I 1 thought I 1 would go and claim it when I 1 arrived nt at the baril bank I 1 up phed to the iho proper window tor for my mall mail and trunk who Wh oare are you I 1 was asked rather sharply well I 1 guess no oue hits haa any greater right to tat pat OB lens effects than I 1 have I 1 replied and I 1 would ic bo obliged to yon ac you would look them up for me 11 that may lo be nil all right my friend replied the clerk but according to our rt ricorda corda cords lieutenant Oll rien Is a prisoner of war tn in germany and ivo wo pant cant very wellburn well turn over his effects joany to antono ano else unless either you present lie ho Is dead and that you aro are ids lawful iv representative or else deliver to us a properly erly authentic order from him to civo them to you he was very tory positive about it all but quite polite and I 1 thought I 1 would kid him no more WOL well I 1 eld 1 I cant very well present proofs to you that ilant iten istead Is dead but I 1 will do tho the best I 1 can to prove to you that he Is alive and it you quite forgotten ills signature I 1 gueso I 1 can arito you out an order that will answer all your re rc quiro ments and enable you to give roe rne pat fat OB lens belongings without running any risks nad and I 1 scribbled scribble A my Elgria turp on a a serap scrap of paper and handed it to him I 1 he looked at me carefully through tile the latticed window then jumped down from the high chair and came outside to clasp we me by tho the haud baud good leavens heavens he exclaimed cl its as ho he pumped my hand up and down how bow did you 0 u ever over get away and I 1 had to sit ft right down and tell him and half a dozen other people in ills fhe bank nil all about my experiences per perien lences ces I 1 had been in Engl england alid about five days when I 1 recel received a telegram which at birst occasioned mo inc almost 1 l at m SAM A POST A AniS af pr J tl 0 for postage posu stamps anlu d ism ri mad 14 ari f A 1 lu s 44 H jm ite ii chal caf to 1 allm 1 1 wis 1 Z ka 4 tt mje i 11 TO satt J 1 sst 12 ia 4 M aar UG 0 allx 1 asai I 1 ad 60 fraad fr AAA 9 la 11 y cwm rt 1 I 1 g fau nij dij r v lieutenant parlen answer to sit t ing porta X Is aa much concern colleeta as af the unexpected bight of a cheslan G nami spik d tied had caused cad TOO me la fix belgium it read ng as bivs 8 LIEV 1 I A obrian cn itogni flying filing forr cotti Ite gents calrice hotel london rho king is very glad to heat hear of you your escape CRAPO front from Gorni gordiany Any if you tire lira to bo be in london on friday next till ilia majesty will mill to fo ephe you lit at fat bow 10 SO A n nl gleaso acknowledge CROMER of OC course 0 the there to ives ng only one thing to do and that wits to obey orders I 1 was w nn all in tha ilia army bild tho the king was tuy my commander in chief I 1 had to RO 90 mid and to so I 1 tat t at down and sent pent oft off the following answer tarl cromer Croni cr buckingham palace london 1 I will attend buckingham palanco as directed Irl valday day DeccY ber ath nt at aw 10 6 LIBUT PAT in the lia interval that I 1 must confess the atie ordeal of calling on tile iho klej king of loomed up more arv perv every tilly arid and I 1 real ay bl loed I 1 would rather have spent till nn other day in n tho ilia house lit in the pig mg city in Bel glinn or say two mord days nt at Courtr Cour trai nl lhnn to go through what v int I 1 believed to lien heln store for nip orders bordors lio however wever and there was no way of getting out of tt it As AA it turned out it linit us na had tit os I 1 had feared on tho ilia contrary cout iary it was oa ono of the most agreeable neree ablo elpe expo of my life CHAPTER I 1 am presented to tile the aing ng vieu lie dreaded ath of |