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[Page 46]
this for a short way until we could see the door into the street was opened, so we thought it better to reach ground level in the yard, I prepared for a 3 ft. drop, it proved to be nearer five or six, with the alarming result that I fell in a heap, making an awful clatter. On picking myself up I found I was still intact, when, bang! down comes my mate Jimmy in the same manner. We deemed it advisable to get across the street and away as soon as possible praying in our hearts, they would regard the noise as due to the wind, which was blowing fairly strongly for there were still two at the top who had not got out, and if they thought our noise was suspicious and made a search, those two would not have a chance. They were the two the Corporal had taken the map from.
The first thing we saw was one of our Sentries, standing talking to a girl. It was rather a disconcerting sight to our highly strung nerves, but fortune favors the brave and we walked straight on. The Sentry was a married man, but it could not have been his wife he was talking to, because he seemed anxious no one should recognise him, and as we came along side he got his face close to hers , keeping his eyes averted, little dreaming it was two of his birds. The path was so narrow that my arm brushed his in passing, so perhaps I should not disparage German "Frauleins" although her kindness was selfish and unintended, anyhow, the situation was greatly relieved by her presence, and I wish her all that is good.
We were now on the Street in Dusseldorf, Ratte, and quite free, that feeling of freedom getting the better of us, made us perhaps a little careless, but we soon realised we needed to keep our all wits about us, After our return from our first failure, we had been pointed out as the "Fluchtingen" to a great number of civies of the town, so that we had many times to dodge people to avoid recognition.
This time of course, I knew just where I was, and what route to take, so we walked straight into Dusseldorf, or at least to the outskirts of it to a tram terminus. To our good fortune our car came along just after we got there. I stepped on and Jimmy followed. He was to come with me and act the overworked and exhausted Belgian workman, falling off to sleep when travelling. A very hard part to play. As the car went on and filled he was separated from me a little, and had qualms, for he feared he might be asleep when I got off, so stretched his legs behind several persons until he could reach mine, so that as soon as I moved off he would feel it and hop off too.
Our supply of food for the journey we had stowed in our overcoat pockets causing many a suspicious eye was to be cast in our direction both by soldiers and "Civies," but fortunately no questions were asked and we reached the Railway Station safely.
One of the boys, a Tommie, who had a few days ago gone through this station with a Sentry brought back the yarn that that everyone who went through the Turnstile had to produce a personal card of residence as well as a railway ticket. This news of course made us a little dubious, and I believe was the cause of the other four not succeeding in their attempt, but I determined to chance it. As it was now