sult of
the former treatment occurred the next afternoon. When some of the
Crefeld party, who had been allowed to bring provisions with them,
found that it was not possible to obtain hot water for making tea,
some inventive person at once started a little fire of sticks outside
my room. Almost immediately a N.C.O. leading half a dozen armed men
appeared on the scene and told the offender in a dreadful voice to put
the fire out at once. Instead of complying the culprit dodged into a
barrack and out of a window on the opposite side and disappeared.
When the Huns were able to comprehend the audacity of this move they
had to put the fire out themselves. Half an hour later a sentry,
seeing three fires burning in the same place, strolled over and
quietly informed those concerned that fires were not allowed, and that
unless they were put out he would have to make a report to the
commandant. The result was that they were at once extinguished with
the aid of sand. Our baggage did not arrive for nearly a week; then,
instead of being given out, it was locked up for another five days
before we received it all. During this time we had to live on the
German food as best we could.

ACCOMMODATION.--Our quarters consisted of three long and two smaller
badly made huts, divided into rooms containing, mostly, two or six
officers. The mattresses were mostly dirty and hard, being stuffed
with paper and cardboard, which formed sharp edges and lumps. The
first week about ten of us found "creepy crawlies," and shortly before
our departure I succeeded in attracting some while in the camp
hospital! The Huns provided us with the German equivalent for
"Keating's" after much agitation, after making us pay for it. The
doctor said that the newly captured prisoners must have brought the
creatures into the camp. That may have been true in a few cases, but
even so they are to blame for not making adequate arrangements to
prevent it. We each received a tin basin, but the washing was all done
at three pumps outside. All the drinking water was derived from this
source, and had a strong and disagreeable taste. A few feet away from
each pump was a stagnant pool into which the waste water flowed. I
think it is reasonable to suppose that a good proportion of it, after
filtering through the sand, was pumped up again. In spite of these
trifles we were told that the water had been analysed and passed by
the medical authorities. I suppose both the colour and flavo