such a set of damned blockheads!" yelled the officer
in exasperation. "Can't you tell the difference between right and
left? Right wing, right wing, and hurry up!"

A little emery had gotten into the perfect-running machine. The
corridors fairly clanged with orders and counter orders. After much
confusion the general mix-up of prisoners was straightened out
and we were served black bread and coffee.

The strain of the day, along with the fever I had from exposure on
the battlefields, made the rough food still more uninviting,
especially as our only implements of attack were the greasy
pocketknives of the peasants and canteen covers from the
soldiers. The revolt of my stomach must have communicated itself
to my soul. I determined for aggressive action on my own behalf. I
resolved to stand unprotesting no longer while a solid case against
me was being constructed. Not without a struggle was I to be
railroaded off to prison or to Purgatory. Pushing up to the next
officer appearing in the room, in firm but courteous tones I
requested, as an American citizen, the right to communicate with
the American authorities.

He replied very decently that that was quite within my privileges,
and forthwith the opportunity would be accorded me. I was looking
for paper, when there came the order for all of us to move out into
the courtyard. With a line of soldiers on either side, we were
marched through labyrinthine passages and up three flights of
stairs. Here we were divided into two gangs, my gang being led off
into a room already nearly filled. We were told that it was our
temporary abode, and we were to make the best of it. It was an
administrative office of the Belgian Government now turned into a
prison. There were the usual fixtures, including a rug on the floor
and shelves of books. Ours was only one of many cells for
prisoners scattered through the building. The spy-hunters had
swooped down upon every suspect in Belgium and all who had
been caught in the dragnet were being dumped into these rooms.

We were thus informed by the officer whose wards we were. He
was a fussy, quick-tempered, withal kind-hearted little fellow, and
kept dashing in and out of the room, really perplexed over housing
accommodations for the night. The spy-hunters had been successful
in their work of rounding up their victims from all over the country and
corralling them here until the place was filled to overflowing. Our
official in charge was puffed