Prisoner-of-war escapes; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
The first part of the afternoon I spent in several cafés, unhappy
to be within four walls, yet wanting to rest as much as possible.
Toward five o’clock I nervously set forth to buy the maps and some
other less important things. I passed several booksellers’ shops
with huge war-maps displayed in the windows, but my feet, seemingly
of their own volition, carried me past them. When I finally plucked
up enough courage to enter a shop, my apprehension proved quite
unnecessary. I came away with a fine motor-map and another one,
less useful generally but giving some additional information. After
that the rest of my equipment was rapidly acquired: a pair of night
binoculars, wire-clippers, a knapsack, a very light oilskin, and a
cheap portmanteau to carry these things in. By a fortunate chance I saw
some military water-bottles in a shop window, which reminded me that I
had nearly overlooked this very important part of a fugitive’s rig-out.
I got a fine aluminum one.
By this time it was getting dark. The best way of spending what
remained of my time in Leipzig was to have a leisurely meal in the
station restaurant.
While I was waiting to be served, a well-dressed man at a table
opposite attracted my attention. He came into the room soon after me,
and seemed to take a suspicious interest in my person. He stared at me,
openly and otherwise. When he did the former, I tried to outstare him.
After he had twice been worsted in this contest he kept a careful but
unobtrusive watch over the rest of the people in the restaurant, but
took no further notice of me, not even when I crossed the room later
on to buy at the counter as many sweet biscuits and as much chocolate
as I dared. After that I sat reading a book with a lurid cover whereon
a German submarine was torpedoing a British man-of-war among hectic
waves. Taking advantage of the short-sightedness implied by my glasses,
I held it close to my eyes, so that onlookers might have the benefit of
the soul-inspiring cover, and look at that instead of my face.
A porter, whom I had tipped sufficiently to make it worth his while,
came to fetch my luggage and see me into the train, where I had a
compartment to myself. As soon as we were moving, I executed a wild but
noiseless war-dance to relieve my overcharged feelings, and then had my
first good look at the maps.
At Magdeburg I had only a few minutes to wait for the express to
Belgium, which was to arrive at midnight. It turned out to be split
into three sections, following each other at ten-minute intervals. I
took the first of the trains. The second-class compartment I entered
was occupied by an officer of the A. M. C. and two non-commissioned
officers. The latter soon left us, having bribed the guard, so it
seemed, to let them go into the first-class. In this way the medical
officer and I had the whole compartment to ourselves. We lay down at
full length, and I slept with hardly an interruption until 4:30, half
an hour before the train was due at Dortmund.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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