Crook County journal., August 15, 1918, Page Page 6, Image 6

4
CROOK OOl'NTY JOURNAL
Al'Gl'HT IS, IOI
TAGE
u
OUMTING
THE HUN
By
LIEUTENANT
PAT O'BRIEN
61
OwW IMS. f rM 4t o Brta
He could speak English fluently, and
be Interrupted me several times to ex
press his sympathy for the sufferings
I bad endured.
"O'Brien," he said, after I had con
cluded my story, "I am going to help
yon. It may take several days per
baps as long as two weeks but event
ually we will provide the means to en
able you to get to Holland."
I thanked him thousand times and
told him that I didn't know how I
Could possibly repay him.
"Don't think of that," he replied;
"the satisfaction of knowing that I
bare aided In placing one more victim
of the Huns beyond their power to
barm will more than repay me for all
the risk I shall run in helping you.
Tou'd better turn In now, O'Brien, and
In the morning I'll tell yon what I plan
to da"
As I removed my clothes and noticed
that my knees were still swollen to
twice their normal size, that my left
ankle was black and blue from the
wrench I had given It when I jumped
from the train and that my ribs showed
through my skin, I realized what a lot
I had been through. As a matter of
tact, I could not have weighed more
than one hundred and fifty pounds at
that time, whereas I had tipped the
Males at one hundred and ninety when
I was with my squadron In France.
I lost no time in getting Into bed
and still less In getting to, sleep. I
dont know what I dreamed of that
Bight, but I had plenty of time to go
through the experiences of my whole
life, for when I was aroused by a
knock on the door and Huyliger en
tered In response to, my Invitation to
enter, he told me that It was nearly
Boon! I had slept for almost twelve
hours. '
I cannot say that the thought did
not run through my head that per
haps after all I was living in a fool's
paradise, and that when Huyliger re
appeared It would be with a couple of
German soldiers behind him, but I dis
missed such misgivings summarily, re
alizing that I was doing Huyliger an
Justice to let such things enter my
bead even for an instant I had no
right to doubt his sincerity and It
would do me no good to entertain such
suspicions. If he was going to prove
treacherous to me, I was powerless
any way to cope with him.
In a few moments my host reap
peared with a tray containing my
breakfast I don't suppose I shall ever
forget that meal. It consisted of a
cup of coffee real coffee, not the kind
X had had at Courtral several slices ot
bread, some hot potatoes and a dish
of scrambled eggs.
Every mouthful of that meal tasted
like angel-food to me and Huyliger
sat on the edge of the bed and watched
me enjoying It at the same time out
lining the plans he had made for my
escape.
In brief, the scheme was to conceal
me in a convent until conditions were
ripe for me to make my way to the
border. In the meanwhile I was to be
dressed in the garb of a priest, and
when the time came for me to leave
the City I was to pretend that I was a
Bpanigh sailor, because I could speak a
little Spanish, which I had picked
up on the coast To attempt to play
the part of a Belgian would become In
creasingly difficult be pointed oat and
would bring Inevitable disaster In the
event that I was called upon to speak.
Huyliger said I would be given suf
ficient money to bribe the German
guards at the Dutch frontier, and he
assured me that everything would work
out according to schedule.
Tours Is not the first case, O'Brien,
we have handled successfully," he de
clared. "Only three weeks ago I heard
from an English merchant who had
escaped from a German detention camp
and came to me for assistance and
whom I had been able to get through
the lines. His message telling me of
his safe arrival In Rotterdam came to
me In an Indirect way, of course, but
i the fact that the plans we had made
carried through without mishap makes
me feel that we ought to be able to do
as much for you."
I told Huyliger I was ready to follow
bis instructions and would do any
thing he suggested.
"I want to rejoin my squadron as
Boon as I possibly can," I told him,
"but I realize that it will take a cer
tln length of time for you to make the
necessary arrangements, and I will be
as patient as I can."
The first thing to do, Huyliger told
me, was to prepare a passport. He had
a blank one and it was a comparatively
simple matter to fill in the spaces, us
ing a genuine passport which Huyliger
possessed as a sample of the hand
writing of the passport clerk. My oc
cupation was entered as that of a
sailor. My birthplace we gave as
Spain, and we put my age at thirty.
As a matter of fact, at that time I
could, easily have passed for thirty
five, but we figured that with proper
food and a clecent place to sleep at '
night, I could soon regain my normal (
appearance, and the passport would
have to serve me, perhaps, for several
weeks to come.
Filling in the blank spaeea on the
passport was, as I have until, a com
paratively easy matter, but that did
not begin to fill the bill. Every genu
ine passport bore an official rubber
stamp, something like an elaborate
postmark, and I was at a loss to know
how to get ov.r that difficulty.
Fortunately, however, Huyliger had
half of a ruhlHT stamp which hud evi
dently been thrown away by the Ger
mans, and be planned to construct the
other half out of the cork from a wine
bottle. He was very skillful with a
penknife, and although he spoilt a
score or more of corks before he suc
ceeded In getting anything like the
result he was after, the finished article
was far better than our most sanguine
expectations. Indeed, after we had
pared It over here and there, and re
moved whatever imperfections oar re
peated test disclosed, we had a stamp
which made an Impression so closely
resembling the original that without a
magnifying glass, we were sure, it
would have been impossible to tell
that It was a counterfeit
Huyliger procured a camera and
took a photograph of me to paste on
the passport In the place provided for
that purpose, and we then had a pass
port which was entirely satisfactory
to both of us and would, we hoped.
prove equally so to our friends the
Huns.
It had taken two days to fix up the
passport In the meanwhile Huyliger
Informed me that he had changed his
plans about the convent and that in
stead he would take me to an empty
house, where I could remain In safety
until he told me It was advisable for
lue to proceed to the froutier.
this was quite agreeable to me, as I
had had misgivings as to the, kind
of a priest I would make and it seemed
to me to be safer to remain aloof from
everyone in a deserted house than to
have to mingle with people or come In
contact with them, even with the besti
of disguises. )
That night I accompanied Huyliger
to a fashionable section of the city,:
where the house in which I was to be
concealed was located. '
This house turned out to be a four
story structure of brick. Huyliger told
me that it had been occupied by a
wealthy Belgian before the war, but
since 1914 it had been uninhabited save
for the occasional habitation ot some
refugee whom Huyliger was befriend
ing. Huyliger had a key and let me In,
but he did not enter the house with
me, stating that he would visit me In
the morning.
I explored the place from top to bot
tom as well as I coald without lights.
The house was elaborately furnished,
but, of course, the dust lay a quarter
of an inch thick everywhere. It was a
large house, containing some twenty
rooms. There were two rooms in the
basement four on the first floor, four
on the second five on the third and five
on the top. In the days that were to
come I was to have plenty of oppor
tunity to familiarize myself with the
contents of that house but at that time
I did j not know it and f was curious
enough to want to know just what the
house contained.
Down in the basement there was a
huge pantry but it was absolutely bare,
except of dust and dirt A door which
evidently led to a sub-basement at
tracted my attention and I thought it
might be a good Idea to know just
where it led to In case It became neces
sary for me to elude searchers.
In that cellar I found case after case
of choice wine Huyliger subsequently
told me that there were 1,800 bottles of
it I I was so happy at the turn my
affairs had taken and in the rosy pros
pects which I now entertained that I
was half inclined to Indulge In a little
celebration then and there. On second
thought, however, I remembered the
old warning of the folly of shouting
before you are well out of the woods,
and I decided that it would be just as
well to postpone the festivities for a
while and go to bed instead.
In such an elaborately furnished
bouse I had naturally conjured up
Ideas of a wonderfully large bed,
with thick hair mattress, downy
quilts and big soft pillows. Indeed, I
debated for a while which particular
bedroom I should honor with my pres
ence that night Judge of my disap
pointment therefore, when after vis
iting bedroom after bedroom, I discov
ered that there wasn't a bed In any
one of them that was in a condition to
sleep in. All the mattresses had been
removed and the rooms were abso
lutely bare of everything In the way
of wool, silk or cotton fabrics. The
Germans had apparently swept the
house clean.
There was nothing to do, therefore,
but to make myself as comfortable ar
I could on the floor, but as I had grown
accustomed by this time to sleeping
under far less comfortable conditions,
I swallowed my disappointment at
cheerfully as I could and lay down
for the night
In the morning Huyliger appeared
and brought me some breakfast, and
after I bad eaten it he asked me what
connections I had in France or Eng
land from whom I could obtain
money.
I told him that I banked at Cox &
Co., London, and that if . he needed
any money I would do anything I could
to get It for him, although I did not
know just how such things could be ar
ranged. "Don't worry about that, O'Brien,"
he replied. "We'll find a way of get
ting It all right What I want to know
is how far you are prepared to go to
compensate me for the risks I ' am
rendering joujl
The change In the man's nttitudt
tunned me. I could hurdly belle my
ears.
"Of con rue I shall pay you as well ai
I can for what you have done, Huyli
ger," I replied, trying to conceal aa fat
aa possible the disappointment his de
mand had occasioned me, "but don't
you think that this Is hardly the proper
time or occasion to talk of compensa
tion? Ail J have on me, as you know,
is a few huiwlred francs, and that, of
course, you ant welcome to, and when
I get back, if I ver do, I shall not
easily forget that kindness you have
shown me. I am sure you need have
no concern about my showing my
gratitude In a substantial way."
"That's all right 0'BrUn," he in
sisted, looking at me In a knowlug sort
of way; "you may take car ot me
afterwards, and then again you may
not I'm not satisfied to wait I want
to be taken care sf now 1"
"Well, what do you want ma to do?
Bow much do you expect in the way
of compensation? How can I arrange
to get it to you? I am willing to do
anything that Is reasonable."
"I want pounds," he replied,
and he named a figure that staggered
me. If I had been Lord Kitchener In
stead of just an ordinary lieutenant
in the II. K. C, he would hurdly have
asked a largor sum. Perhaps he
thought I was.
"Well, my dear man," I said smiling
ly, thlnaing that perhaps he waa jok
ing, "you don't really mean that do
you?"
"I certainly do, O'Brien, and what Is
more," he threatened, "I Intend to get
every cent I have asked, and you are
going to help me get it"
He pulled out an order calling for
the payment to him of the amount he
had mentioned and demanded that I
sign it. ' i
I waved it aside.
' "Iluyllgi-r." I said, "you have helped
me out so far and perhaps you have
the power to help me further. I appre-j
elate what you have done for me, al
though now, I think. I see what your
motive was, but I certuiuly don't in
Outlining the Plans He Had Made for
My Escape.
tend to be blackmailed and I tell you
right now that I won't stand for it"
"Very well," he said, "It is just as
you say, but before you make up youf
mind so obstinately I would advise
you to think It over. I'll be back this
evening." '
My first Impulse, after the man had
left was to get out of that house just
as soon as I could. I had the passport
he had prepared for me, and I figured
that even without further help I could
now get to the border without very
much difficulty, and when I got there
I would have to nee my own Ingenuity
to get through.
It was evident however, that Huy
liger still had an Idea that I might
change my mind with regard to the
payment he bad demanded, and I de
cided that it would be foolish to do
anything until he paid me a second
visit
At the beginning of my dealings with
Huyliger I bad turned over to him
some pictures, papers, and other things
that I had on me when I entered his
house, Including my identification disk,
and I waa rather afraid that he might
refuse to return them to me.
All day long I remained In the house
without a particle of food other than
the breakfast Huyliger had brought to
me. From the windows I could see
plenty to Interest me and help pass the'
time away, but of my experiences
while in that house I shall tell in de
tail later on, confining my attention
now to a narrative of my dealing with
Huyliger.
That night he appeared as he had
promised.
"Well, O'Brien," he asked, as he en
tered the room where I was awaiting
him, "what do you say? Will you sign
the order or not?"
It had occurred to me during the
day that the amount demanded was so
fablulous that I might have signed the
order without any danger of Its ever
being paid, but the Idea of this man,
who had claimed to be befriending me,
endeavoring to make capital out of my
plight galled me so that I was deter
mined not to give it to him whether I
could do so in safety or not
"No, Huyliger," I replied, "I have
decided to get along as best I can with
out any further assistance from you.
I shall see that you are reasonably
paid for what you have done, but I
will not accept any further assistance
from you at any price, and what Is
more I want you to return to me at 1
once all the photographs and other I
papers and belonjjings of mine which
1 turned over to you a day or two
ago !"
"I'm sorry about that O'Brien." he
retorted, with a show ot apparent sin
cerity, "hut that is something I cannot
do."
"If you don't give me back those
papers at once," I replied hotly, "I will
take steps to get them, and d d
quick too!"
"I don't know just what you could
do, O'Brien," he declared coolly, "but
aa a matter of fact the papers snd
pictures you refer to are out of the
country, I could not got them back
to you If I wanted to,"
Something told me the man was
lying.
"See here, Huyliger!" I threatened,
advancing towards htm, putting my
hand on his shoulder and looking bliu
straight In the eye, "I want those
paper and I want them here before
midnight to-night. If I don't get them
I shall sleep in this place just once
more and then, at 8 o'clock to-morrow
morning, I shall go to the German au-
fSSSii
"Your Live Won't Be Worth a Damn."
thorltles, give myself up, show there
the passport that you fixed for me,
tell them how I got it, and explain
everything."
Huyliger paled. We had no lights
In the house, but we were standing
near a landing at the time and the
moonlight was streaming through a
stained-glass window.
The Belgian turned on hla heel and
started to go down the stairs.
"Mind you," I called after him, "I
shall wait for you till the city clock
strikes twelve, and If you don't show
up with those papers by that time, the
next time you will see me Is when you
confront me before the German au
thorities. I am a desperate man, Huy
liger, and I mean every word I aay."
He let himself out of the -door and I
sat on the top stair and wondered just
what he would do. Would he try to
teal a march on me and get In a first
word to the authorities so that my
story would be discredited when I
put It to them?
Of course, my threat to give myself
up to the Huns was a pure bluff. White
I had no desire to lose the papers
which Huyliger had and which In
cluded the map and the last resting
place of my poor chum Raney, I cer
tainly had no Intention of cutting off
my nose to spite my face by surren
dering to the Germans. I would have
been shot, as sure as fate, for after all
I had been able to observe behind the
German lines I would be regarded as
a spy and treat id as such.
At the same time I thought I de
tected a yellow streak In Huyliger, and
I figured that he would not want to
take the risk of my carrying out my
threat even though he believed there
was but a small chance of my doing so.
If I did, he would undoubtedly share
my fate, and the pictures and papers
he had of mine were really of no use
to him, and I have never been able to
ascertain why it was he wished to re
tain then unless they contained some
thingsome information about me
which accounted for his complete
change of attitude towards me in the
first place, and he wanted the papers
as evidence to account to his supe
riors for his conduct towards me.
When he first told me that the plan
of placing me in a convent disguised
as a priest had been abandoned be ex
plained It by saying that the cardinal
had issued orders to the priests to
help no more fugitives, and I have
since wondered whether there was
anything In my papers which had
turned him against me and led him to
forsake me after all be bad promised
to do for me.
For perhaps two hours I sat on that
staircase musing about the peculiar
turn In my affairs, when the front door
opened and Huyliger ascended the
stairs,
"I have brought you such of your be
longings as I still had, O'Brien,", he
said softly. "The rest, as I told you, I
cannot give you. They are no longer
In my possession."
I looked through the little bunch he
handed me. It Included my identifi
cation disk, most of the papers I val
ued, and perhaps half of the photo
graphs. "I don't know what yonr object Is In
retaining the rest of my pictures, Huy
liger," I replied, "but as a .matter of
tact the ones that are missing were
only of sentimental value to me and
- I ' - .4 rV. VBrlk " ! . .... PI
you are welcouieTo UicTuT VII call ft
a beat,"
I don't know whether he understood
the Idiom, but he sat down on the
talra juat below me and cogitated for
a few moments. '
"O'Brien," he started finally, "I'm
sorry thing huve gone the way they
have. I feel sorry for you and I would
really like to help you. I don't sun
pose you will believe me, but the
matter of the order which which I
asked you to sign was not of my doing.
However, we wou't go Into that The
proposition wa made to you and you
turned It down, and that's the eiid of
It At the Mine time, I hate to leave
you to your own resource and I am
going to make one more suggestion
to you for your own good. I have an
other plan to get you Into Holland
and If you will go with me to another
house, I will Introduce you to a man
who I think will be la a position to
help you,"
"How many million of pounds will
he want for hi trouble " I answered,
sarcastically.
"You can arrange that when you see
him. Will you gor
I suspected there wa something
fishy about the proposition, but I fnlt
that I could take rare of myself and
decided to see the thing through, I
knew Huyliger would not dare to de
liver me to,the authorities because of
the fact that I had the tell tale pass
port which would be hi dvathkiicll aa
well as my own.
Accordingly I said I would be quite
willing to go with til ui whenever he
waa irmly, and he suggested that we
go the next evening.
I pointed out to hlra that I wa en
tirely without food and asked him
whether he could not arrange to bring
or send me aouiethlng to eut while I
remained In the house.
"I'm orry, O'Brien," lie replied, "but
I'm afraid you will have to get uloiig
aa best you can. When I brought you
your breakfast this morning I took
a desperate chance. If I had been dis
covered by one of the German aoldlera
entering this house with food In my
possession, I would not only have paid
the penalty myself, but you would have
been discovered, too. It la too danger
ous a proHisition. Why don't you go
out by yourself and buy your food at
the stores? That would give you con
fidence aud you'll need plenty of It
when you continue your journey to the
border."
There waa a good deal of truth In
what he said and I really could not
blame him for not wanting to take any
chances to help me In view of the rela
tions between us.
"Very well," I wild ; 'Tve gone with
out food for muny hours at a Uiue bo
fore and I suppose I shall be able to
do ho again. 1 shall look for you to
morrow evening."
The next evening he came and I ac
companied him to another house not
very far from the one in which I had
been staying and not unlike it in ap
pearance. It, too, was a substantial
dwelling house which had been unten
anted since the beginning save fr'-i
for such occasional visits as Hujiiger
and hla associate made to It.
Huyliger let himself In find run
ducted me to room on the hi i'l
floor, where be Introduced iiie to two
men. One, I could readily see by the
resemblance, was his own brother.
The other was a stranger.
Very briefly they explained to me
that they had procured another pass
port for me a genuine one which
would prove far more effective Ifi help
ing to get ue to the frontier than the
counterfeit one they had manufac
tured for me.
I think I saw through their 'gams
right at the start, but I listened pa
tiently to what they had to say.
"Of course, yon will have to return
to u the passport we gave yon before
we can give yon the real one," said
Huyliger' brother.
"I haven't the slightest objection," I
replied, "if the new passport Is all you
claim for It Will you let me see It?"
There wa considerable hesitation on
the part of Huyliger' brother and the
other chap at this.
"Why, I don't think that's necessary
at all, Mr. O'Brien," said the former.
"You give us the old puasport and we
will be very glud to give you the new
one for It Isn't that fair enough?"
"It may be fata" enough, my friends,"
I retorted, seeing that it was useless to
conceal further the fact that I was
fully aware of their whole plan and
Why I had been brought to this house.
"It may be fair enough my friends," I
said, "but you will get the passport
that I have here," putting my side and
Indicating my Inside breast pocket
"only off my dead body!"
I suppose the three of them could
have made short work of me then and
there If they bad wanted to go the
limit and no one would ever have
been the wiser, but I bud gone through
so much and I was feeling so mean to
wards the whole world Just at that
moment that I was determined to sell
my life as dearly as possible.
"I have that passport here," I re
piled, "and am going to keep It If
yon gentlemen think yon can take It
from me you are welcome to try !"
To tell the truth, I wus spoiling for
a fight, and I half wished they would
start something. ' The man who had
lived In the house had evidently been
a collector of ancient pottery, for the
walls were lined with great piece of
earthenware which bad every earmark
of possessing great value. They cer
tainly possessed great weight. I fig
ured that if the worst came to the
worst that pottery would come In
mighty handy. A single blow with one
of those big vases would put a man
out as neatly as possible and as there
was lots of pottery and only three men,
I believed I had an excellent chance of
holding my o'en In the combat which I
had invited. .
I had already picked out lu my mind
what 1 wa going to use, and I got up,
stood with my back to the wall and
told them that If they ever figured on
getting the passport then would be
their beat chance.
Apparently they realised that I
meant business and they Immediately
began to expostulate at the attitude I
waa taking.
One ot the men spoke excellent
English, lu fact he told ma that be
could apeak five language, and 'If be
could lie In the other a well as I
knew he did In my own tongue, he waa
not only an accomplished llngulut, but
a moat versatile liar Into the bargain.
"My dear fellow," aald the llugulat
"It I not that we want to deprive you ot
the passport, (lood heavens! If It will
aid you In getting out of the country,
I wish you could have six just like It
But for our own protection, you owe
It to u to proceed on your Journey
a beat you ran without It because a
long a you have It In your possession
you Jeopardize our Uvea, too, Iton't
you think It I fairer that you should
risk your own safety rather than place
the lives ot three luuoreut men la
danger?"
"That may be as It l, my friend,"
I retorted, "anil I am glad you realize
your danger. Keep It In mind, tor In
case any of you should happen to feet
Inclined to notify the German authori
ties that I am In thl part of the coun
try, think It over before you do so.
Iteineiulier always that If the Germans
get me, they get the passitort, too, and
If they get the pussport your lives
won't be worth a damn I When I tell
the history of that clevw little piece
of pasteboard, I will Implicate all three
of you, and whoever I working with
you, and as I am an officer I rather
think my word will be taken before
yours. Good night I"
The bluff evidently worked, because
I wa able to get out of the city with
out molestation from the German.
I have never seen these men since.
I hopo I never shall, because I am
afraid I might he tempted to do aome,
thing for which I might otherwise be
sorry.
I do not mean to Imply that all Bel
gians are like this. I hud evidently
fallen Into the hands of a gang who
were endeavoring to make capltul out
of the misfortune of those who were
referred to them for help. In all coun
tries there are bud a well as good,
and In a country which has suffered o
much aa poor Belgium It la no wonder
If some of the survivor have lost their
eiiae of moral perspective.
I know that the average poor peat
ant In Belgium would divide his scanty
rations with a needy fugitive sooner
than a went thy Belgian would dole
out a morsel from hi comparatively
well-stocked larder. Perhaps the poor
huve less to lose than the rich if their
generosity or charity Is discovered by
the Huns,
There have been many Belgian shot
for helping escaped prisoners and other
fugitives, and it I not to be wondered
at that they are willing to take as few
hnnces a possible, A man with a
ininlly, especially, doe not feel Jus
tified In helping a stranger when he
l.iriws that he and hi whole family
wy be shot or neut to prison for their
pains.
Although I suffered much from the
attitude of Huyliger aud hi associate,
I suppose I ought to hold no grudge
gainst them In view of the unenviable
predicament In which they are In
themselves.
CHAPTER XIII.
Five Day In an Empty House.
The five day I spent In that house
seemed to me like five years. During
all that time I had very little to eat
less In fact than I bad been getting In
the fields. I did not feel It so bad, per
haps, because of the fact that I wa no
longer exposed to the other privations
which before had combined to make
my condition so wretched, I now bad a
good place to sleep, at any rale, and I
did not wake every half hour or so as
I bad been accustomed to do In the
fields and woods, and, of course, ny
hunger was not aggravated by the
physical exertions which ' had beea
necessary before,
Nevertheless, perhaps because I bad
more time now to think of the hunger
pains which were gnawing at me all
the time, I don't believe I was ever, so
miserable aa I was at that period of
my adventure. I felt so mean towards
the world I would have committed
muffder, I think, with very little prov
ocation. '
German soldiers were passing the
house at all hours of the. day. I
watched them hour after hour from the
keyhole of the, door to have shown
myself at the window was out of the
question because the house in which
I wus concealed was supposed to be
untenanted.
. Because of the fact that I waa un
able to speak either Flemish or Ger
man I could not go out and buy food,
although I still had the money with
which to do It That was one of the
things that galled one the thought
that I bad the wherewithal In my
jeans to buy all the food I needed and
yet no way of getting It without en
dangerlng my liberty and life.
At night, however, after It was dark,
I would steal quietly out of the bona
to see what I could pick up In the waf
of food. By that time, of course, the
stores were closed, but I scoured the
streets, the alleys and the byways for
scraps of food and occasionally got up
courage enough to appeal to Belgian
peasants whom I met on the streets,
and In that way I managed to keep
body and soul together. "
It was quite apparent io me. how-
(To be continued)
w. a. s.
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