| Show THE H ia I 1 by PAT OBRIEN ti abut tx t x vat aha 1 0 alien SYNOPSIS I torr pat 0 drien it 11 telle lie oi I 1 tl is in wr writena the story of bin his all II 11 tells of chis enlistment in the royal I 1 itina lienk orpe lid his training in III canada lanada and it lilt Is transfer anater tr to krance for or active auty f III fights in which bo be brought alro down two german airplanes and his hi final tight in which he wa was brought brough t down wounded within the ber tier man line lines and wa was anade Is prisoner oner of war wax CHAPT FIt W that german clerman hospital start lal barus rouy n elected tte tie fit tally wounded and devoted it tir ener 1 to those vio might be returned t to 0 the lh tiring line lines death in 0 I 1 hl b bm t chuin hum tta Tt 4 all V ahe tie in takers to to 1 fleer at courtr il amt amesse e an hs hf 13 aluir areat oat sa eat h anig to uve says kid 0 fy f F u 67 rations ot 01 bread CHAPTER VI A leap for liberty I 1 hud betit in artmon lit at Court courtial ral nearly ahrie li w the morn jim of september mil I 1 anil anti six othir ollit tra were mere told that we were ere to be transferred tra inferred to a prison camp la in ger many one of the guards told ica me during the day that vre were le tined for a ni camp in gt t burg they were heading us there to keep cur airmen from bombing the place ho lie explained that the english carried german officers on hospital ships for a similar sin illier purpose end and lie excused the tile garman practice of torpedoing torr doing theae these esteg ox on the store that they eluo its 0 carried ul when I 1 pointed cut out to him that brance would mould lin hardly rilly be ile sen line ling munitions to lag law he lout lost interest in the argument some daye days before I 1 had male ma ie up tuy mind that it would be a very good thing to got hold of a map bt germany which I 1 knew was la in the tb of one ot of the tile german aerts be muse cause I 1 realized that if it ever tit the op tame come to my such a map lo 10 oc of tho the greatest assi tanco tance to ni ru with the idea of stealing this milli accordingly a ind and I 1 kot got in front of hia this window day arid id c in a ery hot lot achu u ment ns to whither h ther cherr was on the rhine or not tin I 1 we w argued linck back and forth so vigorously 11 that the lerman german came out of hie his room map in hand to settle it after the nutter mitter was entirely settled to our oar il w I 1 I 1 confiscated the map tion lie went back into his room and I 1 matched where he put the map when therefore I 1 leanus that I 1 waa mas on my way may to Geri germany nany I 1 zul it that it more important than car for ue to get 1 that map and with ith the bap of my friend we me got the interpreter out of his room on ome some arf pnat pmt or another and while hile he ile mus gono I 1 I 1 con the map from the hook in which he krat it and concealed it in my ack 1 mIr menth neath ml letzing aa As 4 I 1 b had ad ant anticipated 1 c 11 buted it luter proved of the utmost value to me agot I 1 got it none too eoon soon for half on tin hour later we me were mere on an our way to ghent our parti part consisted of flyr british officers and one I 1 brench reach officer at ghent client where we me had to wait for Ise beveral seral hours for another train to take tale ins direct to the prison camp in germany two other prisoner prisoners mt wire re added to tur oar party in the interval wo we were locked in a room at a hotel a guard sitting at the door with a rifle on his knee it would have done my heart good for the ariit of my life if I 1 could have gotten a aai awi y then and fooled that alun he was so cocksure later we were marched to the train that was to convey us to germany it consisted ot of some twelve coaches eleven of thaw atu containing troops going L homa horne on an leave and tho the twelfth re I 1 t grieci tor ua us we worn were clacel lu in u fourth class compartment with old luru wooden state slats a filthy floor anil and no lights save a baudle placed there by a guard there mire tre eight if tf us pris onra and four guards AM As we me fiat sat in lit lite lie conch wo we were en an object of curiosity to the crowd aho gathered at the I 1 1 I hope lope 3 iou OU have a ulca trip I 1 I 1 one of them boutto i i drop ru a line when aou ou get to perun will ill jr shouted another in broken Engil sh aben hen we bee yon YOU naked asked n third me to our friend friends will y OU boull find pl nty where here youre going shouted th 1 germau lir mait 1 mude made no ti te repress the crowd la in fact ley jineal in the gent u ral I 1 which followed every sally I 1 to a germau Jer officer who waa was VaR pawing mInic our window you youra man nn officer arent YOU youl 1 I risked enough lis itts what lint or of jav it he lie rejo iriA I 1 IN ell in lugland I 1 eald said we lt 11 1 1 our officers who to are prisoners boners ride tnt dixs cun can t ou fix it so that we can be treated treat d or least b to class compart n lit if I 1 imd find my wa wp he replied you it d ride with fill the he hogs bogal iben sic turned to the crowd and anid 1 I id mint of my n quist and how he dud lind i md me and anti they all laughed lill jill thi ir bously alili i acot ot nie lite pretty hot lot that moul I 1 be a it d sight better than riding u with ith the Cler clerkins mins I 1 I 1 ellid lifter utter him but it if he lie conald ered that it gold go d joke he lie pass it on ri to the crowd soine month months later when I 1 had the honor bonor rt ef tilling my inv story to king gaorge he lie thought thorr fht thi this incident was one of th tit bent best joics he lie had bad ever heard I 1 ahn d n t believe hi he ever laughed harder in hid his life before our out our guardi had to art ent their arms for ason tind their miles were ere loaded in our sence to let us know that they bu businow busl sinew nesi from the moment the tile train started on ita its way to germany the thought i kept coming to my head that unless I 1 could make roy my escape before we reached that reprisal camp I 1 might aa as well moke make up my mind as far ae as I 1 una concerned concer concern md cd the war w aux us ever it occurred to me it the eight of us in that car could jump at a given signal and und seize thoe those tour four ilan guards by surprise wed have a splendid chance of besting them and jumping oft the train when it first slowed down but I 1 casaul the he idea on to my they it down don iyan I van if the tile plan worked out aa florl ammy iv 1 I imd find pictured pic turid they pointed 0 t the tile fact that so many of wj hi lit eard woul I 1 almost inevitably result in our recapture the huns woud would hate have scoured belgium till they h had 11 d got us and then we would ell all bo be eat Ier tany were mere rt ahti I 1 was determined mined that no matter what the lh others decided di aided to do I 1 was mas going to maka ono bid for freedom conic come hut aa we me pa as d through village after village in and I 1 realized that we were mere coln cU ln tind ninfer to that lepri il niep 1 I con cluth 1 I that my one and only chance of getting free before w m e 0 reached it w m as through the window I 1 I 1 would have to go through flat ilat window while the train wd going full spied because if I 1 until it had slowed up or d entirely it m would be it tample motter for the guarda guards to overtake take or ashoot me I 1 opened the window the guard abo 10 lo sat opposite me nie so cloe that lis t is feet touched mine and the stock of his gun which he lie held beld between hie his knees 1 biilly tt barack rick roy my foot mads no objection no doubt that I 1 found the car too warm or that the smoke mitts wll which the compartment was mas filled annond anno id me As I 1 th the window the noise the train mris making as it thundered along grew loudar it to eay say 1 you ru re it i fool if 3 ou do to you re a fool yoot it you don t you ri a fool it you do you re r a fool if a ou don t and I 1 eald said to myself ni self the noca noes have it and closed down dumn the aindow again I 1 As soon ns as the tile window was uns closed the noise of th tin L naturally sided and its t peed seemed to diminish and my plan to me than ever I 1 knib the guard in front of me didn dian t understand a word of inglish and so in lit a quiet tone of voice I 1 con flotd to I 1 officer who ho bat sat next me what I 1 had planned to do da cikor I or gods sake make pat chuck it he urged don t be a this railroad li Is double tracked and rock bal lasted and und the other track ie is on lour your side lou ion every chance in tap world orld of knocking bour our brain i out against the rull rail or hitting a bridge or r a whistling post pot and it if you escape those ou on will probably be hit by another train on the other track you haven t one chance in a thousand to make it V t was uns a good deal of logic in what he eald but I 1 figured that once I 1 was in that camp I 1 might never have even one chance in a thou band sand to escape and the iden idea of remaining a prison r of war indefinitely went against mj ml grain I 1 resolved to take my chanc chance now at the risk of breaking my nek n ek ck the car was luil full of smoke I 1 looked across nt at the guard lie was rather au old man going home on leave and he seemed to be dreaming of what was in store for him rather than paying any tiny particular attention to me once in to a while I 1 had smiled at tit him and I 1 figured that he buda t the slightest idee idea of mitat was going ny ay allne us u the time re we had been traveling I 1 barap tt its cough as though my throat was badly d by the emike and una I 1 opened the window gain I 1 ibis hi time the guard looked up and eb ob wed I 1 his LI disapproval but bat did not cot wy anything it was visa then 4 in the morn ing and would booti be light I 1 knew I 1 had to do it then or never ne as there would be no chance to escape in the dayi daytime ime I 1 had oo 00 a trench coat that I 1 bad had U used qed ae as a flying coat and wore ore my knapsack which I 1 had constructed out of a gas gus bag brought into courtsal Court Cour ral trai by a britt british gh prisoner pria prist oner mer in this I 1 had two pieces of bread a piece ot of sausage and a pair of flying mittens all of them had to so go with ith me through the tile window the train was now nou going at a it rate ot of between thirty and thirty five miles an hour and again it seemed to admonish i u 1 I pulled myself up shoved shaved my feet reet through the window and let gome as it rattled aloni alons over nver the ties you re a fool if it you do you re a fool toot you don t you ro a fool isyou if you don t youre a fool isyou it you do louren lou re a fool it if you don it I 1 waited no long longer standing upon the bench us if it to put the tile bag on the rack and taking hold of the rack with my left li hind ind and a strap that hung from his tl tt tip 1 of cir m with ith toy right I 1 pull I 1 tin till f ir un sli ved m feet and i r i i in low and at go i r on mi lip lips as I 1 I 1 ti t i I 1 a bullet fallet between my shoulders lers but it was all clr in an instant I 1 landed on my left jett side and face fac burang bur ing my faco in the ballast cutting it and closing clo ing my ifft eye skinning my hands and s and straining Atral ning my ankle I 1 or a ft w mo I 1 wae mas knocked out and it if they hot shot at me lite alin ugh ug the window in the first moments utter niter my escape cape I 1 had ao to way may of knowing 01 course it if they could twe ila e stopped the train right then they could easily he hm e recaptured ae me but bu at the speed it waa going und in the tile conf usta which must liam hant followed fol lomed auy o 0 they p probably didn dian t stop w ithan halt half of a mile froin from the spot A where here I 1 lj la I 1 came to a fe and cheo A ben I 1 exal aint 4 iua luscia acif and found no bones broken I 1 didn dian t stop to worry about dij nij ill uta cuts and bruli abs but jumped up with mith the idt i of putting us as areat a distance bet betm t ten en me rue an I 1 that track as po possible elble b buforo fore dall glit curie come still being dazed I 1 all about the barbed wire fence fende alone alon thy the of ma hii and anti ran full tilt till into it 1 I lost oneff one of ill two ONO i melous i 1 lues ices of 0 which fell out of iny duap uck but I 1 could not stop to look for it then the one thing that u as ul in my taint 1 was that for the moment I 1 was trie and it was tit up to me lite now to make the most of in lit alb arty continue Contin tiel 1 next eipl |
