F TERROR

Major Bach, in common with the average Prussian officer, who has
suddenly become invested with a certain degree of authority, evinced a
weird delight in emphasising his power at every opportunity. He was an
unbending apostle of steel-bound discipline, such as is practised in
Germany.

Until his arrival we were in the habit of parading once a day--at 6
a.m.--with evening parades, twelve hours later, upon occasion. But Major
Bach introduced the third mid-day parade. A little later he suddenly
thought that a fourth parade was necessary, the respective hours being
six, twelve, two, and six. Even this programme did not satisfy his love
of power and arrogance, because at frequent intervals he would suddenly
summon two additional parades and for no ostensible reason, except to
harass us.

Parade was probably the most irksome duty we had to fulfil inasmuch as
we were then treated to insults of every description. The Commandant was
a martinet of the worst type. We were supposed to trim ourselves up and
to look as spick and span as we could under the circumstances. This was
more particularly demanded when a notable visitor--visitors were few and
far between--came to the camp to perform a perfunctory inspection to
satisfy the authorities in Berlin that the prisoners of war were being
well and kindly tended. But some of us were not disposed to bow meekly
to the tyrant's despotic orders. Instead of parading upon such occasions
in the white convict-like suits, which by the way we were supposed and
indeed asked to purchase, so that we might present a smart uniform
appearance, we preferred to don our own clothes, although they were now
showing sad signs of wear and tear. Naturally the immaculate Major
resented our refusal to fulfil his bidding, thus producing vivid
blemishes upon the prim appearance of the lines, but we always succeeded
in producing an excuse which was so ostensibly reasonable as to escape
his wrath and consignment to some punishment.

The most irritating feature of these parades was the length of time we
were kept waiting in the scorching sun upon the convenience of his
"Excellency." To him it was nothing that we should be kept standing at
attention for an hour or more, while the guards, steeped in discipline
as they were, took a fiendish pleasure in keeping us up to the mark. I
recall one parade very vividly. The heat was intense: the thermometer
must have been at least 110 degrees in the sun. We para