|9 —
f “OUTWITTING 1,
j THE HUN” I
I l
»• ===== By ===== ■;
A I ' '
LIEUTENANT ;;
PAT O'BRIEN >:
-—---Q i.
CopyrlKht, lV*to. by l’*t Alva O Jlrien
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I -Introductory. I’at O’Brien
tells ot hia purpose in writing the btoiy
of his adventures
CHAPTER II Tdls of his enlistment In I
the Royal Plying turps, his trailing in
Canada and his transit.-! to l-rance for a*
tive duty.
CHAPTER 1II—Describes fights in width
he brought down two German airplanes :
and his final fight in which he was '
brought down wounded within the Ger
man lines anti was made a prisoner of
war.
CHAPTER IV—Discovers that German
hospital staff b.frburousiy neglected tho
fatally wounded and devoted their ener
gies to restoring those who might bo
returned to the firing lines. Witnesses
death In fight of his best chum. Lieut.
Paul Uaine>.
CHAPTER V—He Is taken to the of
ficers' prison camp at Court nil. There ho
began planning his to cape By great su« -
rlfice ho manages to save and hide away
two daily rations of bread.
CHAPTER VI—He confiscates a map of
Germany and *ust half an hour later Is
fiut on a train bound for a prison camp
n Germany. Hu leaps through a window
while the train Is tiavebng ut a rate of 3*)
miles an hour.
CHAPTER VII - For nine days he '
crawls through Germany, hiding during
the day, traveling at night, guid. 1 bv tn»j
Btars and subsisting on raw vegetables. ,
He covers 75 miles before reaching Lux
emburg.
LMAPI15K Vlff— For nine days more he
struggles on In a weakened condition
tiirough Luxemburg in the direction of
Belgium.
CHAPTER IX — He endures terrible
hardships, swims rivers while delirious •,
from hunger, living like a hunted anltn.il
and on tin- eighteenth day after jumping
from the train <:•.••• into Belgium.
CHAPTER X— When well on his way
through Belgium h* Is befriend* I «»n •
night I*, a IT inish p* i.uini, who fe
him and directs him to .i man in a lad
gian city who will help Inm to get a pass
port.
CHAPTEK XI By mingling with Bel
gian p* is.mts !.*• m.mages « lud*- (i
man soldiers .md ie.o i*«• m th* B* igian < ity
where h* finds ’.!>*• i ■ m*- oi the man from
whom he exp* ts l>* p
CHAPTER XII 11,.1 i ■ r forges a pass
port for O’Brien and ii orm.-e. t>* assi t
film in getting ml * Holland. Eater Hu>
llger anti his associates demand an t-.v ]
orbitant sum for their services and ,
O’Brien breaks with them.
Ho let himself out of the door and I
cat on the top stair and wondered Just
what he would do. Would he try to >
steal n march on me and get In a first
word to the authorities so that my I
Story would he discredited when 1
put It to them? «
Of course, my threat to give myself i
up to the Iluns was n pure Id tiff. While
I had no desire to lose the papers
which Huyliger hud and which in- i
eluded the map and the hist resting
place of niv poor chum Raney. 1 cer
tainly had no intention of cutting off 1
my nose to spite my face by surren- 1
dering' to the Germans. I would have
been shot, as sure as fate, f<*r after all
I had been able to observe behind tie*
German lines I would he regarded as
a spy and treated as such.
At the same time I thought I de
tected a yellow streak in Huyliger. and
I figured that he would not want to
take tin* risk of my carrying out my
threat even though he believed there
was hut a small chance of my doing s<». j
If I did, he would undoubtedly share j
my fate, and the pictures and papers
he had of mine were really of no use
to him, and 1 have never been able to
ascertain why It was he wished to re
tain then unless they Maintained some
thing—some information about me—
which accounted for his complete
change of attitude towards me in the
first place, and he wanted the papers
ts evidence to account to his supe
lors for ids conduct towards me.
When he first told me that the plan
if placing me In a convent disguised
is a priest had been abandoned he ex
plained it by saying that the cardinal
lad issued orders to the priests to
lelp no more fugitives, and I have
since wondered whether there wijn
mything In my papers which had
timed him against me and led him to
porsake me after all he hud promised
0 do for me.
For perhaps two hours I sat on that
dalrease musing about the peculiar
urn in my affairs, when the front door
'period and Iluyliger ascended the
dairs
"I have brought you such of your be
ongings as I still had, O’Brien," he
add softly. “The rest, as 1 told you, I
annot give you. They are no longer
n my possession."
I looked through the little bunch he
landed me. It included my identifi
cation disk, most of the papers I vai
led, and perhaps half of the photo
graphs.
“I don’t know what your object is in
•etaining the rest of my pictures, Huy
igor,” I replied, "but as a matter of
fact, the ones that are missing were
inly of sentimental value to me and
/on are welcome to them. We'll call it
1 heat.”
I don’t know whether he understood
he idiom, hut he sat down on the
dairs just below me and cogitated for
1 nu.tn.mfc
“O’Brien," lie started finally, “I’m
sorry things have gone tin* way they
lave. I feel sorry for you and I would
•eally like to help you. I don’t sup
>ose you will believe me, hut the
natter of tin* order which which I
inked you to sign was not of my doing,
lowever. we won’t go into that. The
inquisition was made to you and you
timed it down, and that's the end of
t. At the same time, I hate to leave
mu to your own resources and 1 am
jolng to make one more suggestion
0 you for your own good. 1 have an
»ther plan to get you Into Holland
ind If you will go with me to another
louse, I will introduce you to a man
vho * think will he in a position to
ielp you.”
“How many millions of pounds will
ie want for his trouble ” I answered,
uircast i eally.
“You can arran a* that when you see
tim. Will you go?”
I suspected there was something
ishy about the proposition, hut 1 felt
hat I e.itiid take care of myself and
lecided 11» see the thing through. I
it lew Huyliger would not dare to de
iver me to the authorities because of
he fact that 1 had the tell tale pass
ion, which would he his deathknell as
veil as my own.
Accordingly I said I would he quite
villing to go with him whenever lie
vus ready, and he suggested that we
:o tin* next evening.
I pointed out to him that I was on*
lrely without food and asked him
whether he could riot arrange to bring
kr send me something to eat while I
emalned in the house.
“I’m sorry, O'Brien," he replied, “hut
’in afraid you will have to get along
is best you can. When I brought you
Our breakfast this morning I took
1 desperate chance. If I had been dls
•overed by one of the Herman soldiers
Mitering this house with food In my
lossession, 1 would not only have paid
he penalty myself, but you would liuve
>een discovered, tin). It is too danger
ills a proposition. Why don’t you go
nit by yourself and buy your food at
he stores? That would give you con
fidence and you’ll need plenty of it
vhen you continue your journey to the
jorder."
There was a good deal of truth In
,vhut he said and I really could not
dame him for not wanting to take any
•bailees to help me in view of the rela
tions between us.
‘‘Very well," 1 said; "I’ve gone witli
>ut food for many hours at a time be
fore and I suppose I shall he able to
lo so again. I shall look for you to
norrow evening."
Tin* next evening he came and I ac
companied him to another house not !
very far from the one In which I had
been staying and not unlike it in ap
pearance. It, too, was a substantial
dwelling house which had been unten
anted since the beginning save perhaps
for such occasional visits as Huyligtr
and his associates made to It.
Iluyliger let himself in and con
ducted me to a room on the second
floor, where he Introduced me to two
men. One, I could readily see by the
resemblance, was bis own brother.
The other was a stranger.
Very briefly they explained to me :
that they laid pn cured another pass
port foe me—a genuine one—which !
would prove far more effective In hel|>
Ing to get me to the frontier than the
counterfeit one they hud manufac
tured for me.
1 think J saw through their game
right at the start, hut I listened pa
tiently to what they had to say.
"Of course, you will have to return
to us the passport we gave you before \
wo can give you the real one,” said
lluyliger's brut her.
"1 haven’t the slightest objection,” I
replied, "if the new passport is all you
claim for It. Will you let me see it?"
There was considerable hesitation on
the part of lluyliger's brother and the
other (hap at this.
"Why. I don't think that's necessary
at all, Mr. o lirien," said the former.
"You give us the old passport aud we
will he very glad to give you the new
one for it. lsy't that fair enough?"
"It may lie fair enough, toy friends,”
I retorted, seeing that it was useless to
conceal further the fact that 1 was
fully aware of their whole plan and
why 1 had been brought to this house.
"It may lie fair enough, my friends," 1
said, "hut you will get the passport
that I have here," patting my side and
indicating my inside breast pocket,
“only off my dead body !"
1 suppose the three of them could
have made short work of me then and
there if they had wanted to go the
limit, and no one would ever have
been the wiser, but I had gone through
so much and I was feeding so mean to
wards the whole world just at that
moim nt that 1 w*ns determined to sell
my life as dearly as possible.
”1 have that passport here.” I re
plied, “and am going to keep it. Ii
you gentlemen think you ean take it
from me you are welcome to try!"
To tell the truth. 1 was spoiling for
a light, and 1 half wished they would
start sometning. The man who had
lived in the hoij'o had e\nl*iii !y l»een
a collector of ancient pottery, for the
walls wep* iimd with great pcos of
earthenware which had e\ery earmark
of possessing great value. They car
tainly possessed great weight. 1 fig
ured that if tie* worst came to the
worst that pottery would come in
mighty handy. A single blow with one
of those hig vases would put a man
out as neatly as possible and as there
was has of pottery and only three inen,
I believed I had nil excellent chance of
holding my own in the conduit which I
had Invited.
I had already picked out in my mind
w hat 1 was going to use, and I got up,
stood with my back to the wall and
told them that if they ever figured on
getting tin* passport, then would he
their best chance.
Apparently they realized that I
meant business ami they immediately
began to expostulate at tin* attitude I
was taking.
< Hie i»f the men spoke excellent
Kngllsh. In fact, In* told me that In*
could speak five languages, ami'If lie
could lie in the others as well as I
knew he did in my own tongue, he was
not only an accomplished linguist, but
a most versatile liar inti' tin* bargain.
"Mv (V*ur fellow,” said tin* linguist.
“It is not that we want to deprive you of
the passport. <»ood heavens! if It will
al<l you in getting out of tin* country,
I wish you could have six just like it.
Hut for our own protection, you owe
it lit us to proceed on your Journey
its best you can without it because as
long as you have it in votir possession
j ou jeopardize out* lives, too. I ain’t
you think it is fairer that you should
risk vowr own safety rather than place
tin* lives iff three innocent men in
danger?”
1 Hill 111. I > I > v 11 v II I > , II I \ I II 111 l>,
I retorted, "and I am glad you realize
your danger. Keep it in mind, for in
ease any of yon should happen P> feel
inclined to notify the Herman authori
ties that 1 am In this part of the coun
try. think ll over before you do so.
Itememher always that if the Hermans
get me, they get the passport, too, and
If they get the passport your lives
won’t he worth a damn! When 1 tell
the history of that clever little piece
of pasteboard, I will implicate all three
of you. and whoever is working with
you, and as I am an officer I rather
think my word will be taken before
yours. Hood night!”
The bluff evidently worked, because
I was able to get out of the city with
out molestation from the Hermans.
I have never seen these men since.
I hope I never shall, because I am
afraid I might he tempted to do some
thing for which I might otherwise be i
sorry.
I do not mean to Imply that all Bel
gians urc like tills. I had evidently
fallen into the hands of a gang who
were endeavoring to make capital out
of the misfortunes of those who were
referred to them for help. In nil coun
tries there are hud us well as good,
and In a country which has suffered so
much us poor Belgium It Is no wonder
If some of the survivors have lost their
sense of moral perspective.
I know that the average poor peas
ant In Belgium would divide his scanty
rations with a needy fugitive sooner
than a wealthy Belgian would dole
i ul a morsel from his comparatively
well-stocked larder. Perhaps the ia>or
have less to lose thun the rich If their
generosity or charity Is discovered by
the Huns.
There have been many J’.eigiuns she,
for helping escaped prisoners and other
fugitives, and it is not to he wondered j
at that they are willing to take as few |
chances as possible. A man with i. j
family, especially, does not feel ’us- I
titled in helping a stranger when lie
knows that he and his whole family
may he shot or sent to prison for their
pains.
Although I suffered inueli from the
attitude of Huy|Igor and his associates,
1 suppose I ought to hold no grudge |
against them in \ :< \. of the unenviable
predicament in which they are In <
themselves.
CHAPTER XIII.
Five Days in an Empty House.
The live days I >(•« nt in that house .
seemed to me 1 i 1;** pvr yours. During!
all that time I had very little to eat— |
less in fact than I had been getting in j
the fields. I did not fe,| it so bad. p< I
haps, because of the fart that J was no ,
longer expo-, d to the other privation^ \
which before had combined to make
my condition so wret, tied. 1 now had a j
good place to sh ep. at any rate, atni I
did not wake ev»-rv half hour or so as j ,
I had been a -ruM, r ed to do in tin*
fields ami woods, and, of course, my
hunger was not aggravated by tin* ,
physical exertions which had been
necessary before.
Nevertheless, perhaps because 1 laid
more time now to think of the hunger
pains which were gnawing at me till
the time, 1 doth, believe 1 was ever so 1
miserable as I was at that period «>f
my adventure. I felt so mean towards
tie* world I would have committed
murder. I think, with very little prov
ocation.
Herman soldiers were passing tin
house at all hours of the day. I
watched tln m hour after hour from tin*
_ i
I Rummaged the House Many Times.
keyhole of Uio door—to have shown
iii\self at tlie window was out of the
question because the house in whieh
1 was loneealed was supposed to tie
untenaoted.
Because of the fact that I was un
able to speak either Flemish or tier- j
man 1 eould not go out and buy food,
although ! still had the money with
which to do it. That was one of the
tilings ilial galled one -the thoiigld
that I had the wherewithal in my
jeans to buy all the food 1 needed and
vet to wa.» "I getl hr it without en
dangering my liberty and life.
At night, however, after it was dark,
I Would stoat quietly out of the house
to soe what I eould pick up in tho way
of food, ity that time, of eourso, the
stores were closed, hut I scoured the
streets, tlu- alleys and the byways for
scraps of food and occasionally got up
courage enough to appeal to lbjglau
peastnds whom I met oil the streets,
and it' that way I managed to keep
body and soul together.
It was quite apparent to me, how
ever, that 1 was worse off in the city
than I had been in the fields, and 1
decided to get out of that house Just
as soon as 1 knew definitely that lluy
liger had made up Ids mind to do noth
ing further for me.
When I was not at the keyhole of the
door I spent most of my day on the top
floor In a room which looked out on the
street. By keeping well away from the
window 1 eould see much of what was
going on without being seen myself.
In my restlessness, I used to walk hack
and forth In that room and 1 kept It up
so constantly that I believe t must have
worn a path In the floor. It was nine ■
steps from one wall to the other, and
as I had little else to amuse me I fig
ured out one day after 1 had been
pacing up and down for several hours
just liow much distance I would have
covered on my way to Holland If my j
footsteps had been taken in that diree- !
tion instead of Just up and down that
old room. I was very much surprised j
to find that In three hours I crossed
the room no less t tinti 5,000 times and
tlie distance covered was between nine
and ten miles. It was not very grati
fying to realize dial after walking all
that dlstnnee I wasn't a step nearer my
goal than when I started, hut I had to ;
do something while waiting for Huy
llgcr to help me, and pacing up and
down was a nuturul outlet for my
restlesanesn.
While looking out of the top floor
window one day, I noticed a cat on u
window ledge of the house across the
street Lipid a nice piece.of a broken (
nirror which I hud picked up in 11i
muse and I used it to amuse myself ^
or an hour at a time shining it in the jj
•at’s eyes across the street. At first *
lie animal was annoyed by the retlce
lon and would move away, only to j
oinc hack a few moments later. By
rid by, however, it seemed to get
ised to the glare and wouldn’t budge
10 matter how strong the sunlight was.
['laying with the cat In tills way got
me Into the habit of watching her
•Mining*? nnd goings and was lndl
eetly t!i*» mentis of 11iv getting food a
' *■ ..r two later at a time w hen I
vns mi f.niilslied that I was ready to
!o almost anything to app<-;i^• my
lunger.
It was about 7 o’clock in the even
ng. I was expecting lluyliger at s.
n’t 1 h: dli't the slightest hope that lie
v- :'d bring me food, as lie had told
in* that he wouldn’t take the risk of
laving food In his pos-e^sinn when
.ing on me. 1 was standing at tie*
* 11• b»\v in such a way lb; t I enuld
..v what was going on in lie* street
*hout being observed by those who
i.-esed by. when I noticed my friend, j
• cat. coming down the steps of the
• pposite Iioum* with something in his a
noiifh. Without considering the risks
ran. I opened the front door, ran
low ii the steps and across the street,
md pounced on that cat before It could
;et away with Its supper, for that, as
had Imagined, was what I had seen
n Its mouth. It turned out to he a
*iece of stewed rabbit, which I confis
cated eagerly and took back with me
o tlie house.
Perhaps I felt a little sorry for the
•at, hut I certainly had no qualms
ibout eating the animal's dinner. I
vas much too hungry to dwell upon
niceties, and a piece of stewed rabbit
vas certainly too good for a cat to eat
vhen a man was starving. I ate and
•njoyed It and the incident suggested
o me a way in which I might possibly
ihtaln food again when all other ave
nues failed.
From my place of concealment I f re
lent I.v saw huge carts being pushed
dirough the streets gathering potato (
[feelings, refuse of cabbage and similar
rood remnants, which, in America, are
considered garbage and destroyed. In
Belgium they wen* using this “gar
bage" to make their bread out of, and
while the id* a limy sound revolting to
us. the fact i*; that the Hermans have
hroUL'l;* *!.* -.• thi: :/ down to such a
scienci• that tlie I.-. ::d they make this
way i< r. '.lly v<•*■*• m • d to oat. 1 know*
it would have been like cake to me
when I wa- in need of food; indeed I
would have eatoii tie- "garbage" di
rect. let alom- til*- bn-ml.
Although, a- I have said, 1 suffered
greatly from hunger while occupying
this house, there were one or two
things 1 observed through the keyhole
or from the windows which made me
!: tig!;, and some of the incidents that
occurred during my voluntary Impris
onment were really funny.
From the keyhole I could see, for in
stance. a simp window on the other
side of the street, several bouses down
the block. All day long Herman sol
diers would he passing in front of the
house and l noticed that practically
every one of them would stop in front
of thi- store window and look in. Oc
ctisionall v a soldier on duty bent would
hurry past, hut I think nine out of ten
of them were sufficiently interested to
spend : t least a minute, and some of
them three or four minutes gazing at
whatever was being exhibited in that
window, although I noticed that it
failed to attract the Belgians.
(To he Continued)
-+
Your eves titteq Compound and
-iticmati' buses replaced See Os
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The Deep Sea Food Products Coin
|)any is building a large wharf at iis
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t
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The above schedule subject to change without
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Freight received and delivered at Cordova
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Tickets on sale at Second Street Depot office
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CORDOVA
MACHINE WORKS
E. R. GARNES, Prop.
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i
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Room 1 Alaskan Hotel
♦♦♦•«♦•♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦«
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Windsor Hotel ♦
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L. Wain, Prop. ♦
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