ster of Germany have failed
to cow him.

To continue my narrative of the Cockney soldier in Russian uniform.
So many Englishmen are in Russian uniform, Belgian uniform, French
uniform, or a mix-up uniform that there is no possibility of my
Cockney Russian being recognised by the authorities, and the
photograph which my neutral friend took of him and me was taken
under the very eyes of his Landsturmer.

"Heiny," said the Russian Cockney, "is fed up with the war. Aren't
you, old Heiny? During the last few weeks a fresh call for more
men has cleared the district of everything on two legs. We have
had to work fourteen hours a day, and I wonder what my mates at
home would think of 3 shillings pay for ten days' work?"

I was able to comfort him by giving him some cigars, and a great
deal of really true and good news about the war, all of which he
repeated to Landsturmer Heinrich. I suggested that this might be
unwise. "Not a bit of it," he said. "Lots of these old Germans
are only too anxious to hear bad news, because they think that bad
news will bring the thing to a stop."

How true that remark was I knew from my minute investigations. The
incident was closed by the distant appearence of a _Feldwebel_
(sergeant-major). My Cockney vanished, and Heinrich patrolled
onward.

This particular incident is not typical of the life of a British
prisoner in Germany, but it is indicative of the position many of
the 30,000 prisoners have taken up by reason of their strong
individuality and extraordinary cheerfulness and confidence. My
impression of them is of alert, resourceful men (their escapes have
been wonderful)--men who never know when they are beaten. If
Britain has sufficient of these people she cannot possibly lose the
war.

* * * * *

The world does not need reminders such as that of Wittenberg or of
such singularly accurate narratives as several in _Blackwood's
Magazine_ to know what _has_ happened to British prisoners in
Germany.

It is common knowledge throughout the German Empire that the most
loathsome tasks of the war in connection, with every camp or cage
are given to the British. They have had to clean the latrines of
negro prisoners, and were in some cases forced to work with
implements which would make their task the more disgusting. One
man told me that his lunch was served to him where he was working,
and when he protested he was told to eat it there, or go without