My Escape from Germany 11

My Escape from Germany 11

About half an hour afterward she came to my window, bringing two girls

with her, who obviously had come on purpose to see the wild Englishman.

The taller was a strapping, Junoesque maiden with apple-red cheeks

and considerable assurance. Her friend, a foil to her, was more of a

Cinderella, gray, middle-sized, reticent, but pleasant to look upon,

and with intelligent eyes and a humorous mouth. She said never a word

during her friend’s lively chat with me, only gurgling her amusement

now and then.

 

When they had gone I continued my intermittent watch of “the little

patch of blue that prisoners call the sky.” Gradually it changed to a

rosy hue, then the color faded, and a few stars began to twinkle feebly.

 

With the approach of evening the temperature had gone down, and the

overcoat had become a comfort. To my surprise, an inner pocket,

crackling ever so little, gave up a piece of map not larger than my

hand. It was from the more useless map I had bought, but the most

important part of it, the only piece I had kept when setting out from

Haltern. Being printed on thin, unbacked paper, it had escaped the

attention of my captors the more easily as they had found the other

complete map in my coat pocket. It did not tell me much more than I

knew already, but, kept before me until darkness fell, it undoubtedly

helped me visualize the country I was walking through later on.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER IX

 

BREAKING PRISON

 

 

Before I made a move I was going to wait until the probability of a

surprise visit should have passed. Such a visit I expected at about

eleven o’clock, for at that time the Amtmann would probably go home

from wherever he was drinking beer, and on his way would have a look at

me. To give my jailers an extra hour to surprise me in, was again only

ordinary precaution.

 

Once in the loft, I was going to take off as many tiles as I must to

get through the roof into the garden, from there into the street, and

out of the village in any direction. In the country it would most

likely prove necessary to work round the village at a safe distance

in order to strike a certain turnpike. Several miles along it a brook

crossing the road was an indication that I should have to look out for

a third-class cart track. Some distance along this a railway, and,

shortly after, a first-class road, could be taken as evidence that the

frontier was within four miles, and that I had entered the danger zone.

 

When it was too dark to continue the study of the scrap of map, I

lay down, but was too excited to go to sleep. Slowly the hours and

quarter-hours, chimed by the church, dragged past. As I expected, just

after eleven o’clock the Amtmann entered with the warder. “Why! aren’t

you asleep yet?” he asked. I protested that the rattle of the key had

awakened me. They left. Half an hour after the warder came in again,

said something, and disappeared. At 12:15 I burst into action.

 

Feeling for the sweater and oilsilks, which lay ready to hand, I rolled

them into a bundle. I did the same with my jacket, waistcoat, and

underclothes, after having stripped to the waist, the better to get

through the narrow opening in the ceiling. Next, I folded the paillasse

and propped it against the wall at the foot of the bed. Standing on it,

I lifted the loose board and with a jerk of my wrists flung it free. I

shoved the two bundles of clothes up, first feeling for an unencumbered

space of floor, then levered myself after them.

 

Arms extended, and with a careful shuffle of my feet, lest I should

step on some glass or metal object, I gained the spot where one or two

stars glimmered through the hole in the roof.

 

Grasping the remaining half of the broken tile, I twisted it out as

carefully as I could, not without causing a grating noise, which

sounded loud in the absolute silence. After some difficulty I drew it

through the enlarged hole and, again making sure that the floor was

clear, deposited it carefully. The next tile gave greater trouble. It

being entire, the ends of the superimposed ones had to be lifted to

allow of its withdrawal. When I straightened up, in order to attack

the third in the row, I was startled by the sound of a low-voiced

conversation close to me and apparently on the same level.

 

The natural impulse was to keep quiet, which I did. I waited. The even

voices went on. Carefully I pushed my head outside and looked about.

In the gable of the house on the right, and only about ten yards away,

was a small window. The sound of murmured speech floated through the

open panes directly toward me from the dark room behind. I took it

to be the bedroom of the farmer and his wife, and remembering their

complaint about my having been noisy the night before, I cursed the

ill chance which had made this one German farmer--one, surely, in ten

thousand--fond of fresh air in his sleeping-chamber.

 

The bitterly cold night air was streaming over my naked shoulders while

I stood waiting for the people to go to sleep. Soon the talk ceased,

but I gave them a liberal amount of time before I continued my labors.

 

When I had taken out three tiles in the first row, those in the

next and the next again were quickly removed. The opening was now

sufficiently large, but the two exposed laths running through it did

not leave too much space between them for a man of my size to clamber

through.

 

Stepping back to get my clothes, I misjudged the distance, which was

small--a step or two only--and almost fell through the hole in the

floor. I saved myself only by quickly shifting my weight from one

foot to the other, which touched something soft. With a thud one of

my bundles fell back into the cell. Fortunately it was the oilsilks

and sweater; unfortunately the piece of map was in the pocket of the

former. I did not go after them, but left them where they had fallen,

and slipped into my clothes as quickly as the want of light and space

would permit. This done, it was only a matter of great care and unusual

contortions to get my somewhat bulky person through the laths.

 

At last I stood on the lower of the two I had exposed, with the night

wind soughing over me. Doubtfully, I surveyed the expanse of roof

at my feet. How to get across it was the question. Sliding over the

tiles meant making a tremendous noise, quite apart from the danger of

possible injury. If they were removed one by one, what was to be done

with them? Should I chuck them into the garden as they came off the

laths? I had it! Why not repair the roof above me as I demolished it in

my descent?

 

My sense of humor was rather tickled at the idea. To imagine the faces

of the Amtmann and the warder when they were trying to reconstruct “the

crime” was exceedingly funny. It made me use some extra and unnecessary

care as I replaced the tiles on the laths above me, taking them, always

two and two, from those below.

 

In a very short time I was standing on the last lath. I was in the

denser shadow of the roof now, and the eight feet from the ground

might have been eight thousand for all I could see of it. This made

me hesitate, since a miscalculation of the distance might easily have

meant a jar or a sprain. Without a sound, however, I landed on a soft

garden bed.

 

A few moments after I was at the gate, and over, and in the street.

A solitary street lamp was burning here and there; not a soul was in

sight. In the shadow of the wall I stooped to take off my boots and

socks. As far as I recollect, I got out of the village like a streak of

greased lightning. In reality I probably walked with due caution. I did

not stop until I found myself in a dark lane outside, where I put on my

boots. It was now 1:15.

 

The news of my escape would spread, I was sure, like wildfire through

the country, and a hue and cry would soon be raised. Every man Jack

who could spare the time would make one of a searching party. For

such a thing to happen in a small community was bound to create a far

greater stir than among the more sophisticated inhabitants of even a

middle-sized town. I had received a hint that police dogs were kept in

Vehlen. This might have been bluff, but it was not safe to bet on it.

To put as much distance between me and the pursuers was my only chance.

 

To do that I had to find the turnpike I have spoken of. As far as I

knew, it entered Vehlen from the west. South of and parallel to it was

a secondary railway track.

 

As soon as a sufficient expanse of sky was visible for me to take

bearings, which was impossible in the lane on account of big trees on

each side, I found that I should have to pass around the southern side

of Vehlen to get to the desired point. This would prove difficult and

wasteful of my most precious commodity, time, as an extensive copse

and generally unfavorable country intervened. The seemingly bolder

course of walking back through the village had decided advantages and

was at this hour hardly dangerous. Off came my boots again, and at a

dog-trot, which increased to a fast sprint in front of a public house

with a drunken voice issuing through the window, I crossed the southern

part of the village. I did not happen to come upon the turnpike as I

had hoped. On taking bearings after this second traverse of the village

I found it lying northeast of me and therefore concluded that both

railway and road were to be looked for in a northerly direction.

 

“Northwest now, and damn the wire fences.” It was difficult going at

first, the country, criss-crossed by fences and ditches, enclosing

swampy meadows. Due north was easier walking and would do nearly as

well. A path gave me a rest. It was so heavenly easy to follow. Bang! I

stumbled over a rail. “Hurrah, the railway! Now for the road!”

 

Again across-country, I pushed on as fast as I could in my favored

direction. It was not very fast, for the difficulties were enough

to drive one crazy. Swampy meadows, ditches, barbed-wire fences,

woods, copses, but never a bit of easy ground. Soon I was wet to the

hips. Branches plucked at my garments or slashed me across the face;

barbed-wire fences grasped and retained pieces of cloth as I got over

them; the sides of ditches caved in under my feet and, having jumped

short in consequence, I landed half in the water; and ever and anon the village church tolled another quarter of an hour.