he could come round to my side. But he very
quickly noticed my presence, and not only came himself, but shouted to
another man whom I had not so far seen behind a corner of the station
wall.
This was the corporal of the guard, who rushed at me and began abusing
me with every name he could lay his tongue to for being here without
permit. I tried to explain that I was merely a harmless passenger by
the train coming out to stretch my legs, and had never noticed his
rotten old guns? But he quickly shoo'd me back into the station.
I betook myself once more to the carriage, got out my field glasses,
and continued my investigations from the inside of the carriage, where
I had quite a good view of the guns outside the station, and was able
to note a good deal of information painted on them as to their weight,
calibre, etc. Suddenly in the midst of my observations I found the
view was obscured, and looking up, I found the face of the corporal
peering in at me; he had caught me in the act. But nothing more came
of it at the moment.
My farmer friend presently returned to his place, the whistle sounded,
and the train lumbered on.
When I resumed conversation with the Colonist I remarked on his
invalid appearance and enquired about his health. The poor man, with
tears running down his cheeks, then confessed to me it was not illness
of body, but worry of the mind that was preying upon him.
He had utterly failed in his attempt at making a successful farm, and
had entered the train with the idea of cutting his throat, and would
have done so had I not been there to prevent him. Life was over for
him, and he did not know what to do. I got him to talk about his
losses, and offered suggestions to him based on the experiences of a
friend of mine who was also a farmer in that country, and who for ten
years had failed until the right method came to him in the eleventh
year, and he was now making his business a huge success.
This put hope at once into my volatile companion. He bucked up and
became cheerful and confidential. Finally he said:
"You have done me a good turn. I will do something for you. I know
that you are a German spy, and I know that you are going to be
arrested at the station where this train stops for the night. You were
spotted by a non-commissioned officer at the last station, and while
I was in the telegraph office he came in and sent a telegram to the
Commandant of the terminal station, reporting that a Germ
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