we were so many cattle, and in
which there were no tents or other buildings except a single small shed.
Some of us scurried to this little tumbledown shanty to stow our
belongings. We had to parade and were curtly commanded to empty the
straw from our sacks. We did so though our spirits dropped to zero at
this summary deprivation of our beds. We were told to keep the empty
sacks and to secure them against loss or theft, which injunction we did
not fail to take to heart.

Then we were left. No one appeared to know what to do with us. We were
informed that instructions would be given later. We kicked our heels
about in the broiling sun, sprawling here, and lolling there. The hours
passed but there was no further development. When noon came and we
received no summons for the mid-day meal we commenced to grow
apprehensive in spite of ourselves. Fortunately the weather was
glorious, although the hot sun, which we could not escape, proved
distressing.

As the time wore on we spurred our interpreters to exert themselves on
our behalf. They constituted our only means of mediating with our
superiors, and we urged them to go to the Commandant to enquire about
our rations.

The interpreters went off and succeeded in gaining an audience with
Major Bach, who was found in his office conferring with his juniors.
Directly he espied our interpreters he yelled testily:

"Dolmetscher! Dolmetscher! I cannot attend to any Dolmetscher now!"

"But," persisted one of the interpreters, "how about the food for--"

"Don't come worrying me now," was the savage interruption. "Get out!"

Our intermediaries came back and their doleful faces told us more
eloquently than words that their interview had proved barren.

Some of the prisoners were giving way. A basin of acorn coffee and a
small piece of black bread was all we had eaten for breakfast, and we
were commencing to feel the pangs of hunger disconcertingly.

In an adjacent field were some British Tommies from Mons. Some of us,
tiring of sprawling about on the grass, and with a queer pain gnawing at
our stomach, strolled off towards them to secure some distraction and
smother the call of "little Mary." The soldiers were hugely delighted to
see us and we were soon engrossed in a spirited conversation.

Suddenly our fraternising was observed by some officers who came
hurrying up in high dudgeon.

"Here! None of that," they bawled. "Military and civilians must not talk
together!" saying