I was now taken to a room at the back of the station, where there were
a number of German officers and a German doctor sitting around smoking
and laughing, apparently well pleased at having driven the British
back. The doctor examined my back, and told me I was not seriously
hurt, but that the muscles were strained. I remained in this room,
under a guard, for several hours. All this time the enemy appeared to
be blowing up the railway in the direction of Tchukaib, as I could hear
the explosions. Presently one of the German officers came in and gave
me some bread and water. He could speak English, and was apparently
seeking information, as he asked me how many men had come to Garub that
morning, which question I refused to answer. After several further
attempts to get information about our troops, and finding it useless,
he left me. Towards evening I was taken from the station to a train
which had arrived from Aus. On the way I was jeered at by several
German soldiers. One, I remember, asked, "Well, how do you like the
German-West, old chappie?" When I arrived at the train I found that I
was not the only prisoner, as there was a Carabinier standing there
under escort. Immediately I saw him I beckoned him to one side and
told him, as I was an older soldier than he, that either that evening
or the following morning we should be taken in front of the German
intelligence officer, and that he was to be very careful what he said.
This Carabinier was Trooper Martins, who was sent with a despatch to
General McKenzie from his officer commanding. When within about two
hundred yards of the kopje where he expected to find the general the
enemy opened fire on him. He turned and galloped off, but his horse
was shot before he had gone far, and he was unable to get away. Some
Germans came down and took him up to their trenches. This man and I
were close companions right up to the night of my escape.
We were now placed in a truck which contained two horses and a native,
and two armed guards got in with us. After waiting for a couple of
hours the train proceeded to Aus, where we arrived after dark. Here we
were marched straight to the German guardroom. The guards placed us in
a dark cell, measuring about ten feet by five, with a wooden bench to
sleep on. The cell had small portholes for windows, and a heavy door,
which was locked and barred. A sentry remained on guard all night.
Next morning one of the guards brought us some breakfast, which
consisted of black coffee without sugar, some black bread, and a little
fat. After we had eaten this food we were taken from the cell, and
brought to a building where there seemed to be much military activity.
My mate was taken inside a room, and I was sent away to the rear of the
place with my guard. While I was waiting several German soldiers came
out, and some of them asked me various questions.
After waiting for about an hour and a half the Carabinier was brought
out, and I was taken inside. Here I found a German officer who could
speak most perfect English. He sat with large rolls of paper in front
of him, and started off by asking me my name, where I had come from,
what my nationality was, my religion, and how long I had been in South
Africa. I then told him that I had no objection to answering questions
concerning myself or my people, but he must not ask me anything about
the force I belonged to. He then reminded me curtly that I was a
prisoner of war.
"Yes, I _am_ a prisoner of war," I said, "and I expect to be treated
as such." I added that, a short time previously, I had been one of
a party who captured some Germans, including an officer, and I did
not think our O.C. brought any undue pressure to bear on them. This
seemed to cool the German down a bit, and he actually started to give
_me_ information--of a sort. He asked me if I knew that there were
twenty-five thousand rebels in the Orange Free State under De Wet and
Beyers, also if I was aware there was a rebellion in Egypt and India,
and that numbers of our Dreadnoughts had been sunk by the German fleet?
Fortunately I knew that all this was false, so I was not dispirited.
He next proceeded to ask me questions concerning the forces, which, of
course, I refused to answer. Finally, with my mate, I was sent back to
the cell.
Here we were given some food, which consisted of boiled meat and greasy
water, intended for soup. When we asked for knives and forks the
guard said we could not have any, "as there was a danger sometimes of
prisoners committing suicide." I happened to have a pen-knife, which I
had managed to conceal from my guards the previous day when asked to
turn out my pockets, and so we managed somehow.
My mate told me that he had been given to understand that if he would
go back to his regiment and try to induce the Boers to go over to the
Germans he could have his freedom. This he refused to do.
The morning following, after breakfast, we were allowed to use water to
wash ourselves. Later on in the day we were taken separately in front
of the German commandant at Aus, and questioned once more. I informed
the commandant through the officer interpreter that I had nothing to
add to what I had said the previous day. After several vain attempts
to obtain information we were sent back to our cell, where we remained
until the following day, when we were taken by a guard and put on the
train in a cattle-truck going east.
All the way along the line, wherever the train stopped, German soldiers
and women came and stared in at us. One soldier remarked amiably that
it would have been better for us if we had been drowned before landing
in that country.
We arrived at Keetmanshoop at about 9 p.m., and were met by a fresh
guard, who took us to a military barracks. Here we were given some
food and blankets, and obliged to sleep in a little room with a light
burning all night. A German officer visited us through the night.
During the time we were in Keetmanshoop several of the soldiers became
very friendly, and some of them were inclined to talk a lot. From one
of them we learnt what I considered to be very important information,
of most vital interest to our forces, and that night I could not sleep,
puzzling my brains as to the best way of getting this news to them.
The following morning I suggested to my mate that if they made him the
same offer as they did at Aus he had better accept it, so that he could
carry this information. I also told him to tell the Germans they could
hold me responsible for any breach of faith on his part. The offer,
however, was not renewed. We remained at Keetmanshoop until December
24th, and were then taken under a strong guard to the railway station,
and placed in the train going north.
While here we were joined by five other prisoners, one of whom had been
in a hospital suffering from a wound. The other four were Dutchmen
living in German South-West who had been arrested because they refused
to fight for the Germans.
We arrived at Marintal about sundown, and here the train remained for
the night. We were allowed to get out of the carriages and sleep on the
ground, alongside the railway line. The following morning one of our
guards "stood" us coffee in the hotel, as it was Christmas morning--a
decidedly merry Christmas for us!