den
distance. With a flash the excited guard standing near by raised his
rifle and jabbed fiercely at the soldier. The bayonet got home in the
luckless Tommy's shoulder and passed clean through from front to back,
the ugly point of the bayonet protruding about three inches.

This incident and unwarranted savagery, although born of "nerves,"
sickened and also roused those of us who had seen it. Seeing that the
soldier was quite unarmed the sentry might have used the butt end of his
weapon just as satisfactorily. But no! It was a swine of an Englaender
who had infringed the rule and the bayonet was the instrument for
correction, to be plied with the utmost effect.

Seeing the desperate condition of the British wounded and the inhuman
manner in which they were treated one might naturally conclude that they
would have died off like flies. Sennelager has the most evil reputation
among the German prison camps for systematic brutality and unprecedented
ferocity. But to levy such an accusation is to bring an immediate German
denial. In reply they turn to the official reports and retort that
conditions could not possibly be so terrible as they are painted,
otherwise the camp would be certain to reveal a high mortality. On the
other hand the death-rate at Sennelager is strikingly low, and the
German officials smile contentedly while the Press comforts itself
smugly.

The presentation of the low death-rate is even likely to arouse doubt in
the minds of the unsophisticated British at home. They are not versed in
German cunning. Sennelager camp carries a low death-rate for the simple
reason that a prisoner is not permitted to die there. When a man has
been reduced to a hopeless condition and his demise appears imminent he
is hurriedly sent off to some other place, preferably a hospital, to
die. By a slice of luck he might cheat Death, in which event, upon his
recovery, he is bundled off to another prison. But he seldom, if ever,
comes back to Sennelager! During my period of incarceration only one
man, B----, who was sent to Paderborn hospital to die as the Germans
thought, but who recovered, returned to Sennelager. When a man was
hastened out of the camp in this manner we never knew his fate. It
became a by-word that few men went from Sennelager but none returned.
Consequently, whenever we saw a sick case leave the camp we surmised
that the poor wretch was making his final journey to the Great Beyond.
We assumed his speedy _death