ave offence of fighting I never heard another
word about the incident. It is evident that the officer in his own mind
concluded that the less he said about the episode the better. Still I
had got satisfaction. I had given one of our enemies a drubbing which he
would not forget in a hurry.

Yet the one fact remains. At the time I left the camp there were several
of these whimpering, cold-footed, British Judas Iscariots still drawing
unblushingly their five shillings per week! I might add that this
constituted one of the greatest scandals of the camp, and precipitated a
feeling of smouldering rebellion, not against the German authorities,
but against the traitors who did not refrain from attempting to
fraternise with us after the diabolical repudiation of their
nationality. It was fortunate these back-boneless, long-faced and
drooping-mouthed Britons were forced to live away from us; otherwise I
am afraid there would have been some tragedies and endless fighting.

Another rule of the camp somewhat grated upon our nerves. We opened
several canteens which we stocked with our own goods, and operated upon
communal lines so that the prisoners might secure ample food-stuffs.
Naturally these articles were sold to the men at the lowest possible
prices. But to our dismay we learned afterwards that they might have
been sold at a lower figure had the German military not demanded a
commission, or perhaps it should be called a "royalty" upon the turnover
of 7-1/2 per cent.! This applied equally to the "Special Order Department,"
and I am afraid, if the subject were probed to the bottom, it would be
found that every article sold in Ruhleben--fully ninety per cent. of
which probably would be construed as articles saleable from the canteen
if shops were unavailable--contributes its toll of seven-and-a-half per
cent. to the German authorities. When one recalls the thousands sterling
which pass through the shops and canteens during the course of the week,
the German officials must have derived a handsome revenue from this
iniquitous practice. If all the camps were mulcted in the manner of
Ruhleben, looking after the British prisoners must be an extremely
lucrative occupation.

This scandalous impost hit us at every turn. It meant that we had to pay
for every article and through the nose at that. For instance, the Camp
Committee laid down a house equipped with four large boilers to supply
boiling water, which we had to fetch, and with whi