in English money, but it would be
given in Belgian coins. Upon the third occasion when the British soldier
visited the canteen to buy a "broetchen" and proffered the Belgian
coinage he would learn that this had also undergone a sudden
depreciation of fifty per cent. So that by the time the soldier had
expended his shilling he had really received goods to the value of about
threepence.

It was a cunning method of conducting business and the canteen
proprietor was a master in keeping the hated currency of the three
nations in circulation among themselves, and always exacted a heavy
charge for its acceptance.

With such a novel means of ringing the changes upon soldiers of the
three nationalities it is not surprising that the canteen proprietor
waxed rich within a very short time.

Such a state of affairs not only adversely affected the soldiers but the
poor civilian prisoners as well. At last things came to such a pass that
one of our interpreters, F. K----, the fellow-prisoner whom I had met in
Wesel prison, tackled the canteen proprietor upon his unfair method of
conducting business, and emphasised how harsh it was upon the prisoners
who were not flush in funds. For this attempt to improve our position F.
K---- had to pay the penalty. The canteen proprietor promptly reported
the interpreter to the Commanding Officer of the camp, who forthwith
sentenced our comrade to three days' cells for daring to interfere with
German organisation!

The Germans, in their determined intention to prevent the British
civilian and military prisoners from mingling, adopted the most drastic
measures. Guards were posted everywhere and we were sternly forbidden to
enter the soldiers' reservation. If we were detected the guards were
instructed to let drive with their rifles without giving any previous
warning. The anti-British sentiment was so acute that any one of our
guards would have only been too delighted to have had the chance to put
this order into effect, and that upon the slightest pretext. As he would
have been upheld in his action we decided to give these amiable wardens
no opportunity to turn us into targets.

There is no doubt that we were regarded as little less than desperadoes
of the worst type. Our troops had given the Germans such a severe
shaking up as to throw our guards into a state of wild panic. This was
proved only too conclusively by an incident which occurred one night.
After we had retired we were not permitte