stigated. I do not know if
anything came of it.

"Another little trick which they used to employ to force men to
work in the mines and other places was to take them out one by
one under an armed guard. The rest of us would hear a shot fired,
and then they would take another; a shot would be fired, and so
on. But we soon got on to that, because we found it was a fake.

"About 100 men were taken away from the lager in the early part
of the war to work in a factory, but when they found it was a
munition factory they refused to work. They were each sentenced
to twelve or fifteen months' imprisonment. I know this for a
fact, because I have spoken to the men. They were very badly
treated, and one of them is in hospital to-day, insane."

THE STORY OF PRIVATE ---- OF THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT, TOLD ME IN
BLENHURST CAMP

"I was at Soltau Lager for a long time before we came here. We
used to get one loaf of black bread a day (2 lbs.) between 10
men. The only food we got was some sort of coffee for breakfast,
and the same for supper. For dinner we had a basin of soup, which
was almost undrinkable, some thin washy stuff; occasionally we
got some potatoes.

"In the early part of the war there were about 60 of our fellows
sent to work in a munition factory. But when they got there and
saw what they had to do, they refused. They were threatened with
all kinds of things to make them work, and then they were lined
up against a wall, and a number of German soldiers stood in front
of them, and told them that if they didn't work, they would be
shot. Then they made a show of loading, and brought their rifles
up to the shoulders. When our men still refused they were taken
into a building and locked up two or three in a room; and left
there for 3 or 4 days without food or water or convenience of any
kind."

I asked Private ---- if he was quite sure of this statement and
the length of time, as the men would be reduced to a state of
absolute starvation.

"I am quite sure about it," he said, "and as for the men being
starved, I can only tell you that they were found curled up on
the floor, gnawing at their finger-nails.

"When the Commandant let them out he said he was going to send
them back to their lager, as he admired their pluck, and didn't
think Englishmen had so much in them."

CHAPTER XXIX

OSNABRUCK