embarkation mornings no food is served."

"They start us away hungry?" Dick asked.

"Always, so I have been told. But you are not missing much, comrade,
for you are not yet accustomed to the food the Germans feed their
prisoners, and no one eats much of it until he has been hungry
for a few days. Then something like an appetite for the stuff comes
to one."

Finding himself somewhat chilled and cramped Prescott began to go
briskly through some of the Army setting-up exercises.

"That is a fine thing to warm the blood," said one of the French
officers, "but I warn you that it will make you hungry."

The other French officers now came forward to make themselves
known to the only American officer in this prison camp.

"We are moving to-day," said one. "Will it be better in the new
prison than here, do you think?" Prescott asked.

"In some ways at least. We shall undoubtedly be housed in a wooden
building, and that should be warmer at night. Besides, I hear
we are permitted straw mattresses when in Germany."

"That begins to sound like luxury," laughed Dick.

"And there our friends can send us food through neutral agencies."

"Do you suppose, if they do, we shall be allowed to have some
of the food?" Dick asked.

"Some of it, at least, or our friends would quickly stop sending
it to us when they heard from us that we did not get it."

"It will be a dog's life," broke in another, "even with such better
treatment as may be accorded to officers."

Dick Prescott's heart was as stout as any American's heart could
be, but as he listened to the talk of his French brothers in arms
he could not help feeling glum.

For one thing, it was hardly for this that he had sailed from
America to be taken at the outset and to be shut off from all
service with the men of his own country!

A German under-officer who spoke French came to the wire to call
out:

"You officers will march from here soon. Begin to get your packs
ready. There must be no delay."

"It won't take me long," Dick told his new friends. "When captured
I had only my uniform and my pistol. The latter was taken."

He turned to, however, to help his French brothers who possessed
blankets, water bottles and other small belongings, for some of
them appeared almost too weak to prepare for the march.

The same order had been given to the enlisted men in the next
enclosure. For a few minutes there was some bustle over getting
petty belongings togethe