CROOK COUNTY JOURNAL Al'Ot'HT H, IOIS 0U1WTTW THE HUN n Br LIEUTENANT PAT O'BRIEN Dwmtii Wkiru ai O'saea SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I Introductory. Pat O'Brien Wit of hia purpose la writing; the story etf sJe adventures. CHAPTER n Tells of hia enlistment la the Royal Flying corpe, hie training- la Caned s and hia transier to "ranoe for ac tive duty. CHAPTER in-Deecrlbes ngnta la which h brought down two Uumu airplanes and his final tight in which he waa Brought down wounded wlthia tha Oar u Unas and waa mada a prisoner of CHAPTER IT Flxown that Oermaa hospital staff barbarously neglected tha fatally wounded and devoted their ener gtee to restoring thoee who might be returned to the firing lima. Witnesses death In fight ot hia beat chum. Lmul Faul Ralaey. CHAPTER V He Is taken to tha of Ooars' prison camp at CourlraL There he began planning his escape. By great ea fftnoa he manages to save and hide aaay two daily rations of bread. CHAPTER VI He confiscates a map of Oormany and Just half an hour later is ut on a train bound for a prison camp i Germany. He leaps through a window while the train is traveling at a rats of W snlles an hour. CHAPTER VII For nine days he are wis through Germany, hiding during tha day, traveling at night, guided by the at are and subsisting on raw vegetables. He covers 1& miles before reaching Juux sen burg. CHAPTER Vin For nine days mors he Struggles on In a weakened condition through Belgian ougn uixemiHui in us airecuon ox CHAPTER IX He endures, terrible hardships, swims rivers while delirious from hunger, living like a hunted animal and on the eighteenth day after Jumping from the train he crosses Into Belgium. CHAPTER X When well on his way through Belgium he Is befriended one Sight by a Flemish peasant, who feeds 1m and directs him to a man in a Bel elan city who will help him to get a paas Jort. tires. Instead heavy Iron bands were employed. I could hear them come rumbling along the stone roads for tnlles before they rea"hed the spot where I happened to be In hllding. When I saw these military roads In Belgium for the first time, with their heavy cobblestones that looked as If they would last for centuries, I real ized at once why It was that the Ger mans had been able to make such a rapid advance Into Belgium at the Mart of the war. I noticed that the Belgians used dogs to a considerable extent to pull their carts, and I thought many times that 11 I could have stolen one of those dogs It would have been a very food companion for me and might. If the occasion arose, help me out In a light. But I had no way of feeding It and the animal would probably have tarred to death. I could live on veg etables, which I could always depend upon finding In tiie fields, bat a dog couldn't, and so I gave up the Idea. The knack of making fire with two piece of dry wood I had often read about, but I had never put It to a test and for various reasons I concluded that It would be unsafe for me to build a fire even If I bad matches. In the first place, there was no absolute need for. it I didn't have anything to cook nor utensils to cook It In even If I bad. While the air was getting to be rather cool at night, I was usu ally on the go at that time and didn't notice it In the daytime, when I was resting or sleeping, the sun was usually out To have borrowed matches from a ibelgian peasant would have been feas ible, but when I was willing to take the chance of approaching anyone. It wag Just as easy to auk for food as matches. It the second place, It would have been extremely dangerous to have built a fire even if I had needed It Ton can't build a fire in Belgium, which Is the most thickly populated country In Europe, without everyone knowing It, and I was far from anx ious to advertising my whereabouts. The villages In that part of. Bel gium through which I was making my course were so close together that there was hardly ever an hour paused without my hearing some clock strike. Every village has Its clock. Many times I could hear the clocks striking In two villages at the same time. But the hour had very little Interest to me. . My program was to travel as fast as I could from sunset to sunrise and pay no attention to the hours In between, and In the daytime I had only two things to worry about: keep concealed and get as much sleep as possible. ' The cabbage that I got In Belgium consisted of the small beads that the peasants bad not cut. All the strength had concentrated In these little heads and they would be as bitter as gall. I would have to be pretty hungry to day before I could ever eat cabbage again and the same observation ap plies to carrots, turnips and sugar beets especially sugar beets. It Is rather a remarkable thing that today even a smell of turnips, raw or cooked, makes me sick, and yet a few abort months ago my life depended upon them. Night after night as I searched for food, I was always In hopes that I might come upon some tomatoes or celery vegetables which J really nVearbuTVllh the exception of once, when I found tome celery, I wag never o fortunate. I at so much of the celery the night I came upon It that I wat alck for two day thereafter, but I carried several bunches away with me and used to chew on It as I walked along. Of course, I kept my eye open all the time fur fruit trees, but apparently it was too late In the year for fruit as all that I ever was able to find were two pears, which I got out of a tree. That was one of my red-letter days, but I was never able to repeat It. In the brooks and ponda that 1 passed I often noticed Can of different kind. That was either in the early morning Just before I turned in for the day, or on moonlight nights when the water seemed aa clear In spots as In the daytime. It occurred to me that It would be a simple matter to rig a hook and line and catch some fish, but I had no means of cooking them and it was useless .to fish for the sake of It One night in Belgium my course took me through a desolate stretch of country which seemed to be absolutely uncultivated. I roust have covered twelve miles during the night without passing a single farm or cultivated field. My stock of turnips which I had picked the night before was gone and I planned, of course, to get enough to -carry me through the following day. The North Star was shining brightly that night and there was absolutely nothing to prevent my steering an ab solutely direct course for Holland and liberty, but my path seemed to He through arid pastures. Far to the east or to the west I could hear faintly the striking of village bells, and I knew that If I changed my course I would undoubtedly strike farms and vegetables, but the North Star seemed to plead with me to fol low It and I would not turn aside. When daylight came, the conse quence was I was empty handed and I had to find a hiding place for the day. I thought I would approach the first peasant I came to and ask for food, but that day I had misgivings a hunch that I would get Into trouble if I did, and I decided to go without food altogether for that day. It was a foolish thing to do, I found, because I not only suffered greatly from hunger all that day, but It Inter fered with my sleep. I would drop off to sleep for half an hour, perhaps, and during that time I would dream that I was free, back home, living a life of comparative ease, and then I would wake up with a start and catch a glimpse of the bushes surrounding me, feel the hard ground beneath me and the hunger pangs gnawing at my sides, and then I would realize how far from home I really was, and I would lie. there and wonder whether I would ever really see my home again. Then I would fall asleep again and dream this time, perhaps of the days I spent in Court ra I, or my leap from the train window, of the Bava rian pilot whom I sent to eternity In my last air fight, of my tracer bullets getting closer and closer to his bead, and then I would wake np again with a start and thank the Lord that I was only dreaming it all again instead of living through ltl That night I got an early start be cause I knew I had to have food, and I decided that rather than look for vegetables I would take a chance and apply to the first Belgian peasant whom I came to. It was about 8 o'clock when I came to a small bouse. I had picked up a heavy stone and had bound It In my handkerchief and I was resolved to use It as a weapon If It became necessary. After all I bad gone through, I was resolved to win my liberty eventually at whatever cost As it happened, I found that night the first real friend I had encountered in all my traveling. When I knocked timidly on the door, it was opened by a Belgian peasant, about fifty years of age. He asked me In Flemish what I wanted, but . I . shook my head and pointing to my ears and mouth Inti mated that I was deaf and dumb, and then I opened and closed my mouth several times to show him that I wanted food. : He showed me Inside and sat me at the table. He apparently lived alone, for his Ill-furnished room had bat one chair, and the plate and knife and fork be put before me seemed to be all he had. He brought me some cold potatoes and several slices of stale bread, and be warmed me some milk on a small oil stove. I ate ravenously and all the time I was engaged I knew that he was eye ing me closely. Before I was half through he came over to me, touching me on the shoul der, and stooping over so that his lips almost touched my ear, hetsald in broken English. "You are an Eng lishman I know It and you can hear and talk if you wish am I not right T There was a smile on his face and a friendly attitude about him that told me instinctively that he could be trusted, and I replied: "You have guessed right only I am an Ameri can, not an Englishman." He looked at me pityingly and filled my cup again with warm milk. His kindness und apparent willing ness to help me almost overcame me, and I felt like warning him of the consequences be would suffer If the Huns discovered he had befriended me. I had heard that twenty Belgians had been shot for helping Belgians to escape into Holland, and I hated to think what might happen to this good old Samaritan If the Huns ever knew that he bad helped an escaped American prisoner. After my meal was finished, I told him In as simple language as I could cojnffland of some of the experiences 1 1 had gone tnrougu uaa I outlined my future plana, j "You will never be able to get to I Holland," he declared, "without a I passport The nearer yoe get to the frontier the more German soldiers I you will encounter, and without a j passport you will be a marked man." I I asked him to suggest a way by whjch I could overcome the difficulty. He thought for several moments and studied me closely all the time perhaps endeavoring to make abso "You Can Hear and Talk If You Wish Am I Not Rlflhtr lately sure that I was not a German i spy aud then apparently deciding In my favor, told me what he thought It was best for me to do. "If you will call on this man" (mentioning the name of a Belgian In a city through which I had to pass), h advised, "you will be able to make arrangements with him to se cure a passport and he will do every thing he can to get you out of Bel gium." He told me where the man In ques tion could be found and gave me some useful directions to continue my Jour ney, and then he led me to the door. I thanked blm a thousand times and wanted to pay him for his kindness and help but he would accept nothing. He did give me his name and you may be sure I shall never forget It, but to mention It here might, of course, re sult in serious consequences for blm. When the war Is over, however, or the Germans are thrown out of Belgium, I shall make It my duty to find that kind Belgian if I have to go through again all that I have suffered already to do It CHAPTER XI. I Encounter German 8oldlers. What the Belgian told me about the need of a passport gave me fresh cause for worry. Suppose I should run Into a German sentry before I succeeded in getting one? I decided that until I reached tha big city which the Belgian had men tioned and which I cannot name for fear of Identifying some of the people there who befriended me I would proceed with the utmost precaution. Since I bad discarded my uniform and had obtained civilian clothes, I ; Last .Photograph Taken of Lieutenant 9 O'Brien Before His Capture. With Him Is His Chum, Lieutenant Raneyv j had not been quite as careful as I was at first While I had done my trav eling at night I had not gone Into hiding so early in the morning as before and I had sometimes started again before it was quite dark, rely ing upon the fact that I would prob ably be mistaken for a Belgian on his way to or from work, as the case might be. .. From now on, I resolved, however, ( I . would take no more j chances. I Tha evening I came to a river per haps seventy-five yards wide and I I was getting ready to swim It when I ; thought I would walk a little way to find, If possible, a better place to get to the river from the bank. I had not walked more. Uum. a, faw. hundred I . " I,, . , vM 1 1 fit yards when I saw a boat" It was' (L ! first time I had seen a boat in all my experiences. It was firmly chained, but as tha stakes were sunk In the soft bank It was not much ot a Job to pull them at I gt In, drnnk to my heart's content shoved Over to the other aid a, got out drove a stake Into the ground and moored the boat It would have been a simple matter to bare drifted down the river, but the river was not shown on the map and I had no Idea where It might lead me. Very reluc tantly, therefore, I had to abandon the boat and proceed on foot I made several miles that night and before daylight found a safe place In which to hide for the day. From my billing place I could sea through tbs bushes a heavy thick wood only a short distance away. I decided that I would start earlier than usual, hurry over to the wood and perhaps. In that way. I could cover two or three miles In the daytime and gain Just so much time. Traveling through the wood would be comparatively safe. There was a railroad going through the wood, bat I did not figure that that would make It any the leas safe. , About three o'clock that afternoon, therefore, I emerged from my hiding place and hurried Into the wood. After proceeding for half a mils or so I came to the railroad. I took a sharp look In both directions and see ing no signs of trains or soldiers, I walked boldly over the tracks and continued on my way. I soon came upon a clearing and knew that someone must be living In the vicinity. As I turned a group of trees I saw a small house and In the distance an old man working In a garden. I decided to enter the house aud ask for food, figuring the woman would pmhably be old anil would be no match for me even If she proved hostile. The old woman who came to tbe door In response to. my knock waa older than I expected. If she wasn't close to a hundred, I miss my guess very much. She could not ieak English and I could not speak Flemish, of course, but nevertheless I made her under stand that I wanted something to eat She came out of the door and hol loed for her husband In a shrill voire that would have done credit to a girl of eighteen. The old man came In from the garden and between tho two of them they managed to get tbe Idea that I was hungry and they gave me t piece of bread a very small piece srhleh was quite a treat The house they lived In consisted of Just two rooms the kitchen and a bedroom. The kitchen was perhaps fourteen feet square, eight feet of one side being taken up by an enor mous fireplace. What was In the bed room I bad no way of telling, as I did not dare to be too Inquisitive. I made the old couple understand that I would like to stay In their house all night, but the old man shook bis bead. I bade them good-by and dis appeared Into the woods, leaving them to speculate as to the strange for eigner they had entertained. From the great density of the popu lation In this section through which I was now passing I realized that I must be in the outskirts of the big city which the Belgian had mentioned and where I was to procure a pass port Village after village Intercepted me, and although I tried to skirt them wherever possible I realized that I would never make much progress If I continued that course. To gain a mile I would sometimes have to make a detour of two or three. I decided that I would try my luck In going straight through the next village I came to. Aa I approached It I passed num bers of peasants who were ambling along the road. I was afraid to mingle with them because it was Impossible for one to talk to tbem and It was dangerous to arouse suspicion even among the Belgians. For all I knew, one of tbem might be treacherous enough to deliver me to the Germans In return for the reward he might be sure of receiving. About 9 o'clock that evening I came to a point where ahead of me on the right was a Belgian police station I knew It from Its red lights and on the other side of tbe street were two German soldiers in uniform leaning against a bicycle. Here was a problem which called for Instant decision ; If I turned back the suspicion of the soldiers would be instantly aroused and if I crossed the road so as not to pass so closely to them they might be equally sus picious. I decided to march bravely by the Huns, bluff my way through and "trust1 to Providence. If anybody imagines, however, that I, was at all comfortable as I approached these soldiers, he must think I am a much braver man than I claim to be. My heart beat so loud I was afraid they would bear it Every step I took brought me so much nearer to what might prove to be the end of all my hopes. It was a nerve-racking ordeal. I was now within a few feet of them. Another step and , They didn't turn a hair! , I passed right by them heard what they were saying, although, of course, I didn't understand It and went right on. I can't say I didn't walk a little faster as I left them behind, but I tried to maintain an even gait so as not to give them any Idea of the Inward ex altation I was experiencing. No words can explain, however, how relieved I really felt to know that I had suc cessfully passed through tbe first of a series of similar tests which I real ized were In store for me although I did not know then bow soon I was to be confronted with the second, ' i ij It. was,. Jiowevgr,. tha. tacldegt gave me a world of coiiAdencs, It demonstrated to nis that there was nothing In my appearance at any rata to attract the attention of the German soldiers. Apparently -I looked llks a Belgian peasant and If could only work things so that I would never have to answer questions and thus give away my nationality, I figured 1 would be tolerably safe. As I marched along I felt so' happy I couldn't help humming sn air of one of tha new patriotic songs that ws used to sing at the airdrome back In Tpres. In this happy frame of mind I cov ered the next three miles In about an hour and then came to another Utile village. My usual course would have been to go around It through fields, back yards, woods or whatever else lay In my way but I had gained so much time by going through the last village Instead of detourlng around It and my apearance seemed to be so unsuspicious that I decided to try the same stunt again. I stopped humming and kept very much on the alert but apart from that I walked boldly through the main street without any feellug of alarm. I had proceeded perhaps, a mile along tbe malu street when I noticed ahead of me three German soldiers standing at the curb. Again my heart started to beat fast, I must confess, but I wss not nearly so scared as I had been an hour or so before. I walked ahead, determined to fol low my previous procedure In every particular. I had got to about fifteen feet away from the soldiers when one of them stepped onto the sidewalk and shouted : "Halt I" My heart stopped beating fast for a moment, I believe, It stopped beatlug altogether! I can't attempt to de scribe my feelings. I thought that the Jig waa U that all I bad gone through and all I hud escaped would now avail me nothing, mingled with the feeling of disgust with my self because of the foolish risk I hud taken In going through tbe vil lage, combined to take all the starch out of me, and, I could feel myself wilting as the soldier ad van red to the spot where I stood rooted tu Ui tracks. I bad a bottle of water In one pocket and a piece of bread In tbe other, aud as the Hun advanced to search me I held the bottle up In one hand and the piece of bread. In the other so that he could see that was all I hud. It occurred to me that be would "frisk" me that Is, feel me over for arms or other weapons, 'then place me under arrest and march me elf to the guardhouse, I bad not the slight est Idea hut that I was captured and there didn't seem to be much use In resisting, unarmed as I was and with two other German soldiers within a few feet of as. Like a flash It suddenly dnned rn me, however, that for all this u!dler could have known I was only a llel gian peasant and that bis oh.'-i t in searching me, which he proceed ! to do, was to ascertain whether 1 bud committed the common "crime" of smuggling potatoes. The Belgians were allowed only a certain amount of potatoes, and It Is against the Jaws luld down by the Huns to deal in vegetables of any kind except under the rigid supervi sion of the authorities. Nevertheless, It was one of the principal vocations of tbe average poor Belgian to boy potatoes out In the country from peasants and then smuggle them Into the large cities and sell them clan destinely at a high price. To stop this traffic In potatoes, the German soldiers were in tha habit of subjecting the Belgians to frequent search, and I was being held op by this soldier for no other reason than that ha thought I might be a potato smuggler I , He felt of my outside clothes snd pockets, and finding no potatoes seemed to be quite satisfied. Hud he but known who I was he could have earned an Iron cross t Or, perhaps, In view of the fact that I had a heavy water bottle In my uplifted hand, It might have turned out to be a wooden cross 1 He said something In ' German, which, of course, I did not understand, and then some Belgian peasants came along and seemed to distract his atten tion. Perhaps be had suld: "It's all right; you may go on," or he may have been talking to the others In Flemish, but at any rate, observing that be was more Interested In the others than he was In me at the mo ment I put the bottle In my pocket and walked on. After I walked a few steps, I took a furtive glance backward and noticed the soldier who had searched me re join his comrades at the curb and then stop another fellow who had come along, and then I disappeared In the darkness. I cannot say that the outcome of this adventure left jne In the same confident 'frame of mind that followed tbe earlier one. I was sure I had come out of It all right, but I could not help thinking what a terribly close shave I had. ' Suppose the soldier had questioned met The, ruse f hud been following In my dealings with the Belgian peas ants pretending I was deuf and dumb might possibly' have worked here, too, but a soldier a Gurman soldier might not so easily have been fooled. It was more than an even chance that It would huve at least aroused his suspicion and resulted In further investigation. A' search of my clothing would have revealed a dozen things which would huve estab lished my. ldjmititE and. uJl my. sham- Uilng of deafness would havs" availed we nothing. As I wandered along I knsw that I waa now approaching the big city which my Belgian friend had spoken Searched by German Guards. of and which I would have to enter If I was to get the pnssrt and I realized now how essential It was to have something to enuble me to get through the frequeut examination to which I ex)HHted to bo subjected. While I wus stilt debating In my mind whether It was going to be pos sible for me to enter the city that night, I saw In the distance what ap peared lo be an arc light, and as I ueared It that was what It turned out to be. Beneath the light I could make out the forms of three guards, and the thought of having to go through the same kind of ordeal that I bud Just experienced Oiled me with misgivings. Was It possible that I could be fortunate enough to get by again T As I slowed up a little, trying to make up my mind what was best to do, I was overtaken by a group of Be gian women who were sbnffllng along the road, and I decided to , mingle wlththem and see If I couldn't couvey the impression that I was one ot their party. Aa we approached the arc tight tha figures of those three soldiers with their spiked helmets loomed before like a regiment I felt as if I were) wulklng right Into the Jaws of death, Bather than go through what waa la stfire for me, I felt that I would In finitely prefer to be fighting again la the air with those four desperat Huns who had been tbe cause of my present plight then, at bast I would have a chance to fight back, but now I had to risk my life and take what was coming to me without a cliunce to strlks a blow lu my own defense. I shalt never forget my feelings as we came within the shaft of light pro jected by that great arc light nor tha faces of those three guards as we passed by them. I didn't look directly at them, but out of the corner of my eye I never missed a detail. I held a handkerchief op to my face as wa passed them und endeavored to Imi tate the slouching gait of the Belgians aa well as I could, and apparently It worked. Wa walked right by those guards and they paid absolutely no attention to us. If ever a fellow felt like going down on bis knees and praying I did at that moment, but it wouldn't have done to abow my elation or gratitude In that conspicuous way. It was then well after 11 o'clock and, I knew it would be unsafe for me to attempt to find a lodging place In tha city, aud tbe only thing for me to do was to locate the man whose name the Belgian had given me. He had given me a good description of the street and hud directed me how to get there, and I followed bis Instructions closely. After walking tbe streets for about half an bour, I came upon one of tha landmarks my friend had described to ma and ten minutes afterwards I was knocking at the door of the man who was to make It possible for me to reach Hollaed and liberty I At least, that was what I hoped. CHAPTER XII. The Forged Passport For obvious reasons, I cannot de scribe the man to whom I applied for th.e passport nor the house In which he lived. While, In view of what sub sequently happened, I would not ba very much concerned If be got into trouble for having dealt with me, I realize that the hardships he had en dured In common with the other In habitants of that conquered city may possibly have distorted his idea of right and Justice, and I shall not de liberately bring further disaster on him by revealing his Identity. This man we will call him Huy liger because that is as unlike hla name, as It Is mine was very kind to me on that memorable night when t aroused him from his Bleep and In few words of explanation told him ot my plight. ' He Invited me Inside, prepared some) food for me and, putting on a dress ing gown, came and sat by me while I ate, listening with the greatest Inter est to the short account of my advea tnres. v - .,' (To be continued)