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[Page 26]
nothing happened and we managed to get into a compartment
with only a solitary civilian occupying it.
It was with very anxious hearts that we waited to hear the rumbling of the train over the Rhine bridge, after which we knew we were not only on the right train but that our biggest barrier had been passed.
Unfortunately the train switched off in a different direction to our intended destination, but we were lucky enough to hand in our tickets to some lady porter (who was probably thinking of her "Fritz" at the front) so that we were not questioned at the station we got off at.
From the weather vane at the local church we conveniently got our direction and immediately set about making good the twenty kilometres that were not included in the course we had set ourselves.
We walked until eleven o'clock and then adjourned for breakfast — continuing on through open country, occasionally passing a prisoner of war working on the numerous farms.
Keeping to the main road we were passing through a small village and unceremoniously ran into the village "cop" (who from the census of the Government knew the business of the district to , the number of eggs laid by each fowl). As we were strangers we were taken around to the police station to produce our passports send to give an account in general as to what we were doing in the village.
Things were looking anything but "rosy" for us, but through the policeman' s absolute stupidity and no one at the office being able to speak French, we were able to bluff them that we were peaceful Belgian civilian prisoners working in an adjoining town. Accordingly we were ordered back to the town we had mentioned we had come from, but we lost no time in "beating it" not in that direction but towards Holland.
Reaching a swamp we set about "digging in" where we were not likely to be disturbed for we had had our lesson as regards walking in the daytime.
Starting out again that night at dusk, it was not long before we were walking through the towns and villages that we had mapped out for our course. At one small place we astonished the villagers by washing ourselves at the "village pump". Passing through the town of Dalken, as we had walked continuously for nine hours, we determined on picking upon the first suitable spot to lie up for the following day. A convenient forest suited us to a nicety, so settling down on