r fellows still hanging on in the supports
continued to come over, but none of us were hit. In all probability,
they withheld their fire when they saw what was afoot. Some German
snipers in a farmhouse at the rear were less considerate, but
fortunately failed to hit us.

Later we were ordered to take our equipment off and those who had
coats, to shed them. We did not see the latter again and missed them
horribly in the rain of that day. Two of the Prussians "frisked" us
for our tobacco, cigarettes, knives and other valuables.

This was in bitter contrast to our own treatment of prisoners under
similar conditions. True, we had always searched them but had
invariably returned those little trinkets and comforts which to a
soldier are so important. And I think our men had always showered them
with food and tobacco.

We were then marched to the rear, with the exception of one, who, by
permission of the officer, remained with the dying Taylor.

There were ten of us all told. I have only heard of a few others who
were captured that day. Roberts is still in Germany and Todeschi has
been exchanged and is now in Toronto. The latter lay with a boy of the
machine-gun crew for a couple of days in a dug-out, both badly
wounded. A German stumbled on to them. They pleaded for water. The
German said, "I'll give you water" and bayoneted the boy as he lay. He
raised his weapon so that the blood of his comrade dripped on
Todeschi's face.

"All right," Todeschi cried in German, "kill me too, but first give me
water, you----"

The German lowered his rifle in amazement: "What, you schwein, you
speak the good German? Where did you learn it?"

"In your schools. For Christ's sake--give me water--and kill me."

"What! You live with us and then do this? Schwein!"

"All right, I will give you water and I will not kill you; just to
show you how well we can treat a prisoner."

Todeschi was then taken to the field dressing station where according
to his own account his mangled leg was amputated without the use of
any anesthetic. But that may have been because in such a time of
stress they had none. Later he was exchanged.

I met Scott in the prison camp a few days later and he told his tale.
It appears that in the confusion of the earlier fighting he had become
separated from the regiment, became lost and eventually floundered
into an English battalion. He reported to the officer commanding the
trench and told his story. The officer had