proceeding upon an extensive scale.

I realised the hopelessness of attempting to break through such a
cordon, so with extreme regret I decided to make my way back to the
hayfield. But the return was more difficult than the outward journey. I
had to slip the guards, who seemed to be uncannily alert and who, if
they had caught the slightest glimpse of me, would have blazed away with
their rifles without first yelling a challenge. But I dodged them all
and regaining the field sauntered up towards my guard with perfect
composure. He had missed me and had been looking round to see if I were
at a remote part of the field. As I approached he eyed me quizzically
and subjected me to a searching cross-examination to discover where I
had been. But he secured no satisfaction, beyond the sly hint that he
had not noticed me for the simple reason that he had been stealing a
snooze. I know he did not believe the answers I vouchsafed, but I was on
safe ground. Had he hauled me before the Commandant for attempting to
escape he knew very well that I should have retorted with the
countercharge that he had been sleeping at his post, in which assertion
I should have been supported by my friends. I held the trump card and he
was wise enough to realise the fact. Consequently, beyond telling me to
get on with my work he never ventured another word, nor did his attitude
towards me change in any way.

Afterwards I congratulated myself upon having responded to second
thoughts to return to the camp. I learned that the chances of escaping
from Sennelager were most slender. Not only were we interned in the
centre of a big military centre, somewhat comparable to our Aldershot,
but special precautions had been observed to frustrate escape. Sentries
were thrown out at distances of a few hundred yards while the system of
overlapping these guardians was of the most elaborate character. Such a
gauntlet was far too precarious and tight to be run with any chances of
success. The hue and cry would have been raised, and have been
transmitted to the outer rings of sentries before one had covered a
fourth of the danger zone.

We had to bale the hay on the waggon and when a full load had been
stowed aboard it was hauled away to the lofts. But we had no horses or
traction engines to drag the vehicles; every available beast and machine
had been requisitioned for the army. Still this factor did not perturb
our captors. British muscle could be used as a substitute