the belief that I was returning to the front. I went, however, to my
friend and changed into civilian clothes. I destroyed my uniform and
arms, throwing the lot into the river near by. Thus having destroyed all
traces, I left and arrived at Cologne after some criss-cross traveling.
Thence I journeyed to Duesseldorf and stayed at night at an hotel. I had
already overstayed my leave several days. Thousands of thoughts went
through my brain. I was fully aware that I would lose my life if
everything did not come to pass according to the program. I intended to
cross the frontier near Venlo (Holland). I knew, however, that the
frontier was closely guarded.
The country round Venlo, the course of the frontier in those parts were
unknown to me; in fact, I was a complete stranger. I made another plan.
I returned to my friend and told him that it was absolutely necessary
for me to get to know the frontier district and to procure a map showing
the terrain. I also informed him that I had to get hold of a false
identification paper. He gave me a landsturm certificate which was to
identify me in case of need. In my note-book I drew the exact course of
the frontier from a railway map, and then I departed again.
Dead tired, I reached Crefeld that night by the last train. I could not
go on. So I went into the first hotel and hired a room. I wrote the name
that was on the false paper into the register and went to sleep. At six
o'clock in the morning there was a knock at my door.
"Who is there?"
"The police."
"The police?"
"Yes; the political police."
I opened the door.
"Here lives ...? (he mentioned the name in which I had registered).
"Yes."
"Have you any identification papers?"
"If you please," I said, handing him the landsturm certificate.
"Everything in order; pardon me for having disturbed you."
"You're welcome; you're welcome," I hastened to reply, and thought how
polite the police was.
That well-known leaden weight fell from my chest, but I had no mind to
go to sleep again. Whilst I was dressing I heard him visit all the
guests of the hotel. I had not thought of the customary inspection of
strangers in frontier towns. It was a good thing I had been armed for
that event.
Without taking breakfast (my appetite had vanished) I went to the depot
and risked traveling to Kempten in spite of the great number of
policemen that were about. I calculated by the map that the frontier was
still some fifteen miles away. I had not much baggage with me, only a
small bag, a raincoat and an umbrella. I marched along the country road
and in five hours I reached the village of Herongen. To the left of that
place was the village of Niederhofen. Everywhere I saw farmers working
in the fields. They would have to inform me of how the line of the
frontier ran and how it was being watched. In order to procure that
information I selected only those people who, to judge by their
appearance, were no "great lights of the church."
Without arousing suspicion I got to know that the names of the two
places were "Herongen" and "Niederhofen," and that a troop of
cuirassiers were quartered at Herongen. The man told me that the
soldiers were lodged in the dancing hall of the Schwarz Inn. Presently I
met a man who was cutting a hedge. He was a Hollander who went home
across the frontier every night; he had a passport. "You are the man for
me," I thought to myself, and said aloud that I had met several
Hollanders in that part of the country (he was the first one), and gave
him a cigar. I mentioned to him that I had visited an acquaintance in
the Schwarz Inn at Herongen.
"Yes," he said; "they are there."
"But my friend had to go on duty, so I am having a look round."
"They have got plenty to do near the frontier."
"Indeed?"
"Every thirty minutes and oftener a cavalry patrol, and every quarter of
an hour an infantry patrol go scouting along the frontier."
"And how does the frontier run?" I queried, offering him a light for
his cigar.
He showed me with his hand.
"Here in front of you, then right through the woods, then up there;
those high steeples towering over the woods belong to the factories of
Venlo."
I knew enough. After a few remarks I left him. All goes according to my
program, I thought. But there was a new undertaking before me. I had to
venture close enough to the frontier to be able to watch the patrols
without being seen by them. That I succeeded in doing during the
following night.
I hid in the thick underwood; open country was in front of me. I
remained at that spot for three days and nights. It rained and at night
it was very chilly. On the evening of the third day I resolved to
execute my plan that night.
Regularly every fifteen minutes a patrol of from three to six soldiers
arrived. When it had got dark I changed my place for one more to the
right, some five hundred yards from the frontier. I said to myself that
I would have to venture out as soon as it got a little lighter. In the
darkness I could not see anything. It would have to be done in twilight.
I had rolled my overcoat into a bundle to avoid making a noise against
the trees. I advanced just after a patrol had passed. I went forward
slowly and stepped out cautiously without making a noise. Then I walked
with ever increasing rapidity. Suddenly a patrol appeared on my right.
The frontier was about three hundred yards away from me. The patrol had
about two hundred yards to the point of the frontier nearest to me.
Victory would fall to the best and swiftest runner. The patrol consisted
of five men; they fired several times. That did not bother me. I threw
everything away and, summoning all my strength, I made in huge leaps for
the frontier which I passed like a whirlwind. I ran past the pointed
frontier stone and stopped fifty yards away from it. I was quite out of
breath, and an indescribable happy feeling took hold of me. I felt like
crying into the world that at last I was free.
I seated myself on the stump of a tree and lit a cigar, quite steadily
and slowly; for now I had time. Scarcely fifty yards away, near the
frontier stone, was the disappointed patrol. I read on the side of the
frontier stone facing me, "Koningrjk der Nederlanden" (Kingdom of the
Netherlands). I had to laugh with joy. "Who are you?" one of the German
patrol called to me. "The Hollanders have now the right to ask that
question; you've got that right no longer, old fellow," I replied. They
called me all manner of names, but that did not excite me. I asked them:
"Why don't you throw me over my bag which I threw away in the hurry? It
contains some washing I took along with me so as to get into a decent
country like a decent man."
Attracted by that conversation, a Dutch patrol, a sergeant and three
men, came up. The sergeant questioned me, and I told him all. He put his
hand on my shoulder and said, "Be glad that you are here--wij Hollanders
weuschen de vrede (we Hollanders wish for peace), and you are welcome
here in hospitable Holland."
I had to go with the soldiers to their guard-room and take breakfast
with them. Thereupon they showed me the nearest road to Venlo, where I
arrived at seven o'clock in the morning. From Venlo I traveled to
Rotterdam. I soon obtained a well-paid position and became a man again,
a man who could live and not merely exist. Thousands upon thousands of
Belgian refugees are living in Holland and are treated as the guests of
the people. There are also great numbers of German deserters in Holland,
where their number is estimated to be between fifteen and twenty
thousand. Those deserters enjoy the full protection of the Dutch
authorities.
I would have never thought of leaving that hospitable country with its
fairly liberal constitution if the political sky had not been so
overclouded in the month of March, 1916.
XXIV
AMERICA AND SAFETY
What I have still to relate does not concern actual war experiences. But
the reader might want to know how I came to America. That must be done
in a few short sentences.
In Holland war was believed to be unavoidable. Again I had to choose
another domicile. After much reflection and making of plans I decided to
go to America.
After having left my place I executed that plan. Some days after I was
informed that the steamer _Zyldyk_ of the Holland-American line was
leaving for New York in the night from the 17th to the 18th of March.
According to my plan I packed my things in a sailor's bundle and began
the risky game.
I had never been on a sea-going steamer before. The boat was a small
trader. I had found out that the crew had to be on board by midnight. I
had an idea that the men would not turn up earlier than was necessary.
With my sailor's bundle I stood ready on the pier as early as ten
o'clock. All I had packed together in the excitement consisted of about
seven pounds of bread and a tin containing some ten quarts of water. At
midnight the sailors and stokers of the boat arrived. Most of them were
drunk and came tumbling along with their bundles on their backs. I mixed
with the crowd and tumbled along with them. I reached the deck without
being discovered. I observed next to me a deep black hole with an iron
ladder leading downwards. I threw my bundle down that hole and climbed
after it. All was dark. I groped my way to the coal bunker. I would have
struck a match, but I dared not make a light. So I crawled onto the coal
which filled the space right up to the ceiling. Pushing my bundle in
front of me I made my way through the coal, filling again the opening
behind me with coal. Having in that manner traversed some thirty yards I
came upon a wall. There I pushed the coal aside so as to have room to
lie down. I turned my back against the outer wall of the boat.
Nobody suspected in the slightest degree that I was on board. Now the
journey can start, I thought to myself. At last the engines began to
work; we were off. After many long hours the engines stopped. Now we are
in England I guessed. Perhaps we were off Dover or somewhere else; I did
not know. Everything was darkness down there. While the boat was
stopping I heard the thunder of guns close to us. I had no idea what
that might mean. I said to myself, "If the English find me my voyage is
ended." But they did not turn up.
At last we proceeded; I did not know how long we had stopped. All went
well; I scarcely felt the boat move. However, it was bitterly cold, and
I noticed that the cold increased steadily. Then the weather became
rougher and rougher. Days must have passed. I never knew whether it was
day or night. Down in my place it was always night. I ate bread and
drank water. But I had scarcely eaten when all came up again. Thus my
stomach was always empty.
Through the rolling of the boat I was nearly buried by the coal. It got
worse and worse, and I had to use all my strength to keep the coal away
from me. The big lumps wounded me all about the head; I felt the blood
run over my face. My store of bread was nearly finished, and the water
tasted stale. I lit a match and saw that the bread was quite black.
I wondered whether we were nearly there. No more bread. I felt my
strength leave me more and more. The boat went up and down, and I was
thrown hither and thither for hours, for days. I felt I could not stand
it much longer. I wondered how long we had been on the water. I had no
idea. I was awfully hungry. Days passed again. I noticed that I had
become quite thin.
At last the engines stopped again. But soon we were off once more. After
long, long hours the boat stopped. I listened. All was quiet. Then I
heard them unloading with cranes.
New York!--After a while I crept forth. I found that half of the coal
had been taken away. Not a soul was there. Then I climbed down a ladder
into the stokehole; nobody was there either. I noticed a pail and filled
it with warm water. With it I hastened into a dark corner and washed
myself. I was terribly tired and had to hold on to something so as not
to collapse. When I had washed I took my pocket mirror and gazed at my
face. My own face frightened me; for I looked pale as a sheet and like a
bundle of skin and bones. I wondered how long the voyage had lasted. I
had to laugh in spite of my misery--I had crossed the ocean and had
never seen it!
The problem was now to get on land. What should I say if they caught me?
I thought that if I were caught now I should simply say I wanted to get
to Holland as a stowaway in order to reach Germany. In that case, I
thought, they would quickly enough put me back on land. With firm
resolve I climbed on deck which was full of workmen.
I noticed a stair-way leading to the warehouse. Gathering all my
strength I loitered up to it in a careless way and--two minutes later I
had landed. I found myself in the street outside the warehouse.
Up to that time I had kept on my legs. But now my strength left me, and
I dropped on the nearest steps.
It was only then that I became aware of the fact that I was not in New
York, but in Philadelphia. It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon of April
5th, 1916. I had reckoned on twelve days and the voyage had taken
eighteen.
Physically a wreck, I became acquainted with native Americans in the
evening. They afforded me every assistance that one human being can give
to another. One of those most noble-minded humanitarians took me to New
York. I could not leave my room for a week on account of the hardships I
had undergone; I recovered only slowly.
But to-day I have recovered sufficiently to take up again in the ranks
of the American Socialists the fight against capitalism the extirpation
of which must be the aim of every class-conscious worker. A relentless
struggle to the bitter end is necessary to show the ruling war provoking
capitalist caste who is the stronger, so that it no longer may be in the
power of that class to provoke such a murderous war as that in which the
working-class of Europe is now bleeding to death.
End of Project Gutenberg's A German deserter's war experience, by Anonymous