rfered. We had been kept in
complete ignorance of the progress of the war, and now we were learning
too much for our captors. I may say that all we heard about the war was
the occasional intelligence given when we were on parade. Major Bach
would stroll up with German newspapers in his hands and with fiendish
delight would give us items of news which he thought would interest us.
Needless to say the fragments always referred to brilliant German
victories and he used to watch our faces with grim pleasure to ascertain
the effect they produced upon us. At first we were somewhat impressed,
especially when he told us that Paris had been captured. But when he
related ten days later that it had fallen again, and that London was in
German hands, we smiled in spite of ourselves because we had trapped him
in his lying.

We were now separated from our soldier friends, from whom we had gained
a more reliable insight concerning the state of affairs. The German
guards also gave themselves away by relating that they were embittered
against the British soldiers because they had fought like devils and had
wrought terrible havoc among the ranks of the German army. Consequently
the only opportunity which arose for conversation was during the
evenings around the canteen. Even then we had to be extremely cautious.
If the guard saw one or two civilians associated with a group of
Tommies, he would come up, force us apart at the point of the bayonet,
and make us proceed different ways.

Our practice was to mingle singly and discreetly with the soldiers, and
then upon return to barracks exchange news we had gleaned. I may say it
became an unwritten law of the camp that, if a civilian took a soldier
into the canteen and asked him any questions, he was to reciprocate by
treating the Tommy to some little dainty which was obtainable. If we
asked nothing the soldier got nothing. This latter attitude was not due
to our resenting the idea of treating the soldier, but because many of
us were poor, or empty, in pocket ourselves. Although we did a
considerable amount of forced labour we never received a penny for it.

I had a tilt at my guard one day over the payment of prisoners of war.
Although I knew nothing about the International law upon the subject I
made a venture.

"Do you know?" I asked, "that as prisoners of war we are entitled to 60
pfennigs--sixpence--a day for what work we do?"

"Ja! Ja!" he grinned. "But as it costs us 90 pfennigs a d