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[Page 8]
ultimately all possible means of escape was cut off.
5 p.m. I have already spent 12 hours in this wretched place, bleeding profusely and unable to move an inch. Subsequently death or captivity will befall me. Either convey unpleasant feelings. Whilst contemplating, the snow commenced to fall in thick flakes and soon we were nearly buried in mud and water; the damp earth however, caused the snow to thaw immediately it fell. Later, it fell so thickly and incessantly, that we were almost snowed in. During this awful dilemma several Hun officers passed by; they spat at us and jabbered something unintelligible to me. A few minutes later, a bullying "square head" walked down to us (what bombs etc. we carried had been discarded) and selected a bomb. He walked a few yards away, and motioned as though he intended throwing it upon us and no doubt he would have done so, but thought it unwise whilst his officers were about. Instead of despatching us as expected, he merely threw the bomb down without releasing the pin. I began to feel light-headed again through loss of blood, and would have welcomed death as a relief to my agony. During the last hour, another man had crawled into the hole making the number four in this miserable place; he was badly wounded in his back, and undoubtedly suffered intense pain. Despite these troubles he insisted upon making me as comfortable as possible, giving me some water and a cigarette. Oh! how soothing is a smoke to a wounded man. The incessant show storm drenched us and smoking became an utter impossibility. At sunset a Hun rushed out to us, Hunnishly affecting sorrow and sympathy; with the assistance of a few French words, I managed to make him understand, that not one of us could either walk or stand, and therefore we needed a stretcher to carry us into a shelter. We gave the brute considerable quantities of food (we carried 3 days rations each) and tobacco. Upon receipt he promised to send assistance within a few minutes. This inhuman brute, grinned and laughed with joy, whilst the food was being placed in his hands, and then pretended to extend sympathy. Anyhow within a very few minutes he ran off, but needless to say he failed to return. In the meantime the snow continued to fall thickly and darkness set in. Oh! how