This was extraordinarily favourable. The smaller the aerodrome, the smaller would be the guard. One night-watchman would certainly be the only guard here. Even if there were two sentries we should have no difficulty in overpowering and tying them up and then flying away before the alarm was given. Two labourers who were building a small shed in the camp I steadily plied with cigarettes till they got quite talkative. They, too, had noticed the aeroplanes which flew daily over the camp. In the hope of getting detailed information from them, I tried a bluff which completely took them in. I asked them what had happened to the pilot who had passed over the camp two days before and had then crashed at X. At the same time I pointed in a direction in which I knew there was certainly no aerodrome. The story of the crash was, of course, an invention of my own. As I had expected, they shook their heads incredulously and declared emphatically that no pilot had crashed yet. Besides, they added, there was no flying ground in that direction; the two nearest aerodromes were at L. and U. In confirmation of their statements they described exactly the direction and distance. When I contradicted them--went so far as to suggest laughingly that they did not know the geography of their own country--they offered to prove their statements by means of a map. And next day they actually brought a beautiful big cycling map. After acknowledging my mistake I quietly dropped the map in my pocket during the course of the conversation which ensued. The trick had worked splendidly. I presented them with a number of cigars and then disappeared with my map. The camp was now too small to accommodate the ever-increasing number of prisoners. A number of huts were therefore built on what had hitherto been the recreation-ground. It therefore became necessary to enlarge the recreation ground. The work had been begun during the winter and was finished in the early spring. The new ground, which adjoined the old one, was also surrounded by a wire entanglement and several sentry-boxes. It was to be opened only during the day time and to be closed at sunset. At the far end we were allowed to make two tennis-courts. The tools had to be handed in every evening.