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[Page 64]
never forget how we enjoyed that meal although the bread was black and full of straw, it was absolutely delicious. The Greek said they were going tothe Railway and we could accompany them if we wished and they would show us where the English lived. We gladly accepted the invitation. After about 2 ½ hours walk along a very rough track we came to the first village on the railway. They were stopping there, but they said if we went another mile and a half on we would come to another village and there we would find some English working. We said goodbye to our friend the Greek and thanked him for his kindness in helping us along. We walked along by ourselves without meeting anybody and just before dusk we came to the village of Boudjak (Dorak?) and in the distance we saw a row of tents, and guessed them to be where our people were camped. On nearing them we saw a number of Indians but no English. We spoke to one man who turned out to be an English speaking Armenian in charge of a gang of Indians. We asked him where the English were camped and he pointed to a small hut on a hill about ½ a mile distant and told us that there were 6 English sergeants camped there, so we set off for the hut, arriving there just at dusk. The Sergeants would hardly believe that we were English in our disguise, red fezzes etc. However they made us very welcome. The first thing they did was give us a loaf of bread each and a plate of stew. (They were just having their tea we did not speak till we had eaten all this and then we told them what we had been doing. What a glorious meal that was. There were no sentries over these prisoners as the German Engineers trusted them not to attempt to escape, as they were just captured and being in a very weak state just after coming out of a siege and knowing nothing about the lay of the country. After we spent a couple of hours talking during which time they told us all about the terrible siege of Kut-el-amara (these were the first prisoners from that front that any of us had met). We lay down to sleep the frist time for 19 days with a full stomach and a contented mind. In the morning we turned out and went down to a creek and had a good bath, after which we felt much refreshed. We had a good breakfast and dinner and in the afternoon we decided that in the evening we would push on to our own camp about seven miles distant and give ourselves up. About 6 p.m. we said goodbye to our friends and started off. All went well till within half a mile from the camp when we had to pass a sentry on the road. We were challenged and did not evidently satisfy the sentry. He took us into the village where our camp was and took us before the Commandant . He was sitting on the verandah talking to the officer of police. He immediately recognised us and flew into such a temper that he could hardly speak. Both he and the Police Officer were cursing us which we had to stand without saying a word. Then he asked us where we had been. I replied that we had been with our friends a little further down the line. I said that he would not give us permission to go so we went without. He enquired how long had we been away.