n Herr!" There was no mistaking the
tones. They were so palpably official as not to raise a moment's
doubting. I refrained from looking round, proceeding as if I had not
heard the hail, although I did not quicken my step. But the "Mein Herr!"
continued to ring out persistently, and at last the speaker touched me
on the arm. I turned and, as I had anticipated, was confronted by an
officer.

He demanded to know why I was walking about Cologne. He saw that I was a
Britisher and so responded to the call of his inquisitorial duty. I
produced my "pass" without a word of comment. He looked at it and gave
me a queer glance, but I never turned a hair, and while he was looking
at me I calmly withdrew the "pass" from his hands and slipped it into my
pocket.

At this action there was an excited outburst, but I firmly and
resolutely told him that I could not surrender my "pass." I had been
told to keep it at all hazards, and I intended to do so. It was my sole
protection. Not being able to dispute the truth of my assertions, he
merely told me to come with him. I did not like the turn of events but
had to obey. He stopped short before a box, possibly a telephone,
outside which a sentry was standing. He said something to the sentry,
told me to wait outside, and disappeared within the box.

I waited patiently for a few minutes, thinking hard to discover some
ruse to get away, but retaining a perfectly calm and collected
demeanour. If I moved I feared the sentry would raise the alarm. Yet as
I stood there it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps the sentry, with
typical Teuton denseness of thought, might consider that I was a friend
of the officer, and that I was only waiting for him. I glanced anxiously
up and down the street, listened at the box, and fidgeted with papers as
if fearing that I should miss an appointment unless my friend soon
re-appeared.

The sentry appeared to consider my actions quite natural. Emboldened I
withdrew a piece of paper from my pocket and hurriedly scribbled, as if
jotting down a hurried note. But I knew little German and far less how
to write it. After finishing the note I slipped it into the sentry's
hand, telling him to take it to my friend the officer in the box.

He laughed "Ja! Ja!" and I moved off to the tram which was just
starting in the direction I desired. I have often wondered what happened
when the officer came out and discovered that I had vanished! The sentry
must have experienced a rou