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[Page 17]
hair and beads, and limbs like broom-sticks. Later, one man asked me if I had a cigarette. I produced the required goods from my small supply of mud-stained cigarettes and handed it to him. Immediately the poor fellow lit the "smoke" a crowd gathered round and each enjoyed a puff from the precious weed. Their faces brightened immediately, under the effect of the cigarettes. Poor unfortunates! They thought more of those few whiffs than life. My first visitor, an elderly man of Manchester, whispered in my ear "Have yer any money chum? If you have give it me, l'll mind it until mornin". He then proceeded to acquaint me with the trickery and cunning of Russian soldiers. I could see honesty written in his eyes and realized immediately, he was a friend indeed. Without fear or restraint in entrusted my few belongings to his care, and he promptly disappeared. A little later on a Hun under-officer passed along the corridor where I was waiting for attention. This creature shouted and stormed, until several Russian prisoners carried me into a small room, containing several tubs of odious, filthy water. My torn stained clothes were removed, and before I could speak, much less ask for soap; I was thrown bodily into a tub of water. My bandages were not removed, consequently they were saturated. The bath merely meant ducking, and then back to the stretcher without being dried. The ordeal and my misery fully completed my frightful suffering. Several Russians carried me feet first upstairs at a terrific pace. When I reached the fourth flight of stone stairs, my bearers carried me into a large room and tossed me on a rough bed. Oh! what relief! Although the bed was hard it was almost heavenly to me who had suffered hell in addition to the rough journey. A few minutes later a Hun threw me a girl's blouse infested with vermin and saturated in congealed blood. I looked at the thing, and despite my excessive weakness and pain, I could not suppress a laugh. The Hun stormed and took the disreputable filthy garment from me; and I suppose his shouts meant put it on, however, my astonishment was soon confirmed. He put it on for me and I was given to understand, that the blouse represented pyjamas.