World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, Turkish
In the afternoon, we sewed together the two halves of the sail and cut a
handle for our axe head so as to be as ready as possible in the event of
discovering a boat. After making a stew from some beans we had gathered
in a field on the hill that morning, we packed up and set off, full of
hope and excitement. The question of going across to the wooded hill
arose again when we got clear of the wood, but it was thrown out, and,
bitterly did we regret it next day. Turning down to the shore, we
crossed the road and, eventually, reached the beach just as it was
getting dark. There were one or two small houses just on our right above
the shingle, and we were reconnoitring carefully when a big rowing boat
was seen coming along close to the beach, rowed by some eight men. It
went a quarter of a mile further along, and the boat was then pulled up
by the men and others who appeared from the houses. It was too dark to
see what they were, but for some unknown reason we did not suspect that
they were men of a guard at this place, or connect the houses with a
place shown on one of our maps as being somewhere near here. We debated
whether to go along the coast when it was quite dark and reconnoitre, or
whether to wait for dawn. In any case, it seemed hopeless to think we
could push off the boat which had just been pulled up: it was far too
heavy and they had brought it up a long way. Finally, we decided to wait
till dawn and then go along and see what we could find.
As soon as it began to get light next morning, August 23rd, we were up;
our excitement was increased by seeing a small boat moored a little way
from the beach. This had mast and sail and was just the size of boat we
were hoping for. We crept quietly down to a track along the shingle.
Sweet was in front and reported seeing a peasant near the first house.
We walked quickly on finding that there were rather more tumble-down
houses than we had expected. However, it was too early for people to be
about and there seemed no reason to suspect danger. We were hurrying on
towards the boat we had seen, when we passed the end of a tumble-down
boat-house and, to our dismay, found a Turkish sentry standing just
inside. He stopped Sweet, while we three hurried on a little further.
Sweet told him we were Germans bound for Samsun, the next port along the
coast. However, the old man insisted on telling his chaoush or sergeant.
Meanwhile Sweet had rejoined us, but there was no chance of getting
away, as by this time three or four others of the guard had turned out.
The sergeant had us brought back to the guard-house, where the next
scene of the pantomime began. Sweet, as had been previously arranged,
was to play the part of a German officer, while we three were orderlies.
Accordingly, we carried his pack for him, jumped up and down and saluted
and, generally, behaved in a manner calculated to show our subservience.
Meanwhile, the chaoush who was in charge of the guard at this place--a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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