The Secrets of a Kuttite: An Authentic Story of Kut, Adventures in Captivity and Stamboul IntrigueMousley, Edward O. (Edward Opotiki)
History
The Secrets of a Kuttite: An Authentic Story of Kut, Adventures in Captivity and Stamboul Intrigue
Mousley, Edward O. (Edward Opotiki)
Al Kut (Iraq) -- History -- Siege, 1915-1916; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, Turkish
Fauad spied on me and followed me to the bath.
I introduced him to Doust as an Armenian who would lend
us the money in a few days, and thus I told a good deal of my
story to Doust and Castell with Fauad not suspecting, and
in fact being quite overjoyed about his money. A few
moments alone when we got outside the bathroom, and our
plans were ready. Fauad became rather suspicious, but I
risked all.
[Illustration: PHOTO OF THE AUTHOR TAKEN SECRETLY WHILE
A PRISONER IN STAMBOUL]
When we got back I was greatly surprised to see a posta
on the stairs and doors. The commandant knew nothing of
this, but afterwards it appeared that Fauad had probably invented
something vague about hearing us talking escaping,
just to safeguard himself in case we went, and without divulging
about the letter. This was a serious block. The
stairs' posta had been taken off, and was now on again.
I had within three days to re-establish an entente with the
commandant. We got ready. Our clothes we stuffed with
cheese, oxo, cigarettes, and chiefly nuts and raisins. I wore
my uniform under my mufti kit, as in certain quarters I
wanted to pass as an interned civilian, in others as a German.
I also had a fez.
By this time our plans for escape from the building were
ready. The door could be opened noiselessly and on more
than one occasion I got Colonel Newcombe to hold the rope
while I went down to reconnoitre. I remember the exquisite
feeling of being on the road outside the guard. I lay in hiding
the opposite side of the wall and watched processions of people
passing, the movement and change of sentries, and explored
the street corners near by to see which were guarded. It was
quite difficult to get back by the rope up the wall without
knocking down old bricks or tiles. Doust failed me time and
again on these occasions, partly through uncertainty whether
to take a risk or not. As the day grew near we felt more and
more our difficulty of communication. As I have said, I
believe I was the first to have really a plan of escape in
Kastamuni, and I can safely say that in no case of escape
within my knowledge, was communication so very difficult.
We had to have alternate plans.
Thus a tremendous storm burst at the entrance of the
Bosphorus from the Black Sea and altered all the police
arrangements. German reliefs changed the guard at the walls.
I saw that the difficulty was to find an occasion when the
auspices would be favourable both for getting out of my
prison and getting away from Stamboul. On this account
Doust promised to get me a secure place of hiding, in fact
assured us both that in hulks lying in the harbour, or in
quarters of Stamboul, it would be very easy and without risk
to any one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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