an spy had
been examining the guns and was travelling by this train in this
carriage."

I at once laughed genially at the mistake made, and explained to him
that I was not a German at all. He replied that that would not avail
me--I should be arrested all the same if I went on to the end of the
journey.

"But," he suggested, "I shall be getting out myself at the very next
station to go back to my farm, and my advice to you is to get out
there also. You will find a good inn where you can put up for the
night, and to-morrow morning the early train will take you on clean
through that very station where the military commandant will be on the
look-out for you to-night."

I replied that, as an Englishman, I had nothing to fear, and I should
go on.

At the next station accordingly he got out, and after an affectionate
farewell, I went on. But there was yet another station between this
and the night stop, and on arrival there I took the hint of my friend
and got out and spent the night at the little inn of the place.
Following his advice still further, I took the early train next
morning and ran through the place where they had been looking out
for me. I had not got out when he invited me to at his station lest
his invitation might merely have been a trap to test whether I was a
spy; had I accepted it, no doubt he might have had friends at hand
to arrange my arrest. As it was, I came away scot free with all the
information I wanted about the new gun.

HOODWINKING A TURKISH SENTRY.

A big new Turkish fort had been recently built, and my business was to
get some idea of its plan and construction. From my inn in the town
I sauntered out early one morning before sunrise, hoping to find no
sentries awake, so that I could take the necessary angles and pace the
desired bases in order to plot in a fairly accurate plan of it.

To some extent I had succeeded when I noticed among the sandhills
another fellow looking about, and, it seemed to me, trying to dodge
me. This was rather ominous, and I spent some of my time trying to
evade this "dodger," imagining that he was necessarily one of the
guard attempting my capture.

In evading him, unfortunately, I exposed myself rather more than usual
to view from the fort, and presently was challenged by one of the
sentries. I did not understand his language, but I could understand
his gesture well enough when he presented his rifle and took
deliberate aim at me. This induced me to take