for an
offence about which they had never heard, without being able to say
one word in self defence. In about two months I believe nearly half
the camp had been in "clink." Until latterly it was forbidden to open
windows at night, but being English we took the law into our own hands
and continued opening the windows, refusing to be deprived of fresh
air in the stifling heat. This naturally resulted in more prison,
which at first relieved and then increased the monotony. Though it is
hardly credible, our colonel had to carry out a sentence of three days
"_stuben_ arrest" for losing his poker! About this time an Australian
was put into prison for a trivial offence which had been committed by
some one else, and did not even receive his sentence for three whole
weeks!

While in "jug" in this camp we were not allowed parcels, writing
materials, books or smokes. We complained about this to a general who
inspected the camp later; he expressed surprise at this state of
affairs and had things partially rectified. For about two months all
cigars and cigarettes received in parcels were stopped, the only
reason given being that in some cases they had contained poison for
destroying cattle. Not only were chances of destroying cattle
exceedingly small, but we offered to smoke any cigarette they chose to
give us from our parcels to prove the falsity of the charge.

By an agreement between the Governments those serving terms of
imprisonment for offences committed before the 4th of August, 1917,
were released, a great number of the gaol-birds being sent to Stroehen.
Residing in prison was a captain who made a hobby of being
court-martialled. Under this new ruling he was taken out of cells for
a few days, only to be put back to await trial for the trumped-up
charge of having poison tablets on his person when recaptured after
his last escape. I believe the only tablets he carried were either for
purifying water, or Horlick's malted milk. Every one recaptured when
trying to escape in the late winter of 1916 or the following spring
received a sentence of five months' imprisonment, a fortnight the
original punishment, and the remainder as a supposed reprisal for the
sentence given to escaping Germans in England.

The food given us was very bad indeed, though the list must have
looked quite nice on paper. Apart from the eternal and loathsome
gherkins, of which no mention was made, it asserted that we received
fish twice a week! The Tuesd