FRITZ, HANS, AND RUDOLPH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3059, 21 April 1917, Page 10

FRITZ, HANS, AND RUDOLPH

Camp duties, such as cleaning np, washing, sanitary fatigues, and so on, enough to occupy a couple of squads per day, averaging out the labour, appear to bo all that there is to do. Then there is punishment fatigue. The Teuton who walked not uprightly is presented with a. long-handled shovel and escorted to a piece of road, there to oxercise by tho sweat of his pores tho evil demon of unrest. They have a band—of sorts—and are very fond of music. Reading, writing, woodwork, drawing, and such like ocoupations are their ■ •principal recreation. In the daytime some- of thorn go in for fishing. Of all things, they are fond of octo-. pus! For deep-sea fishing they have small boats about the sizo of inpdel yachts, cut out of solid pieces of wood, and fitted with a metal centre-board and sails. They coil their lino on the deck and start tho craft out towards the vasty deep. When the small bobbing craft has traversed tho required distance, the shore end of tho line is jerked, tho sinker and coil drop overboard', the boat is hauled in, and ..the fishers sit on the rocks like pensive fowls, waiting for a bite. II dolco far iiiento! 1 But, of course, this isn't Ruhlcbeii.

THEIR DAYS ON SOMES ISLAND IMPRESSIONS AND SOME REFLECTIONS (By "Wi.») Over on Somes Island, that barrenlooking .carbuncle that sticks out of the waters of Port Nicholson, guides mariners to port and affords sanctuary to imported animals, are at present in residence several members of the great international company of spielers, tho Donner und Blitzen Corporation, Strafe and Frightful merchants, interned for reasons germane to the safety of the State in war-time. There is Fritz Schwellenkopf, who in times of simmering peace mayhap pushed sausages and pigs' feet across a marble-topped counter in some unsuspecting tcjvnship, receiving in exchange good solid British money; Hans Schwindleheim, who, per-ad,<-enture, retailed sterling silver watches to a hypnotised, publio at 12s. 6d. a time; and several others, of previous avocations moro or less questionable; All are more or less—chiefly more —imbued with the' terrific idea that some fine day the world will cower in abject submission at the feet of William the Frightful,. eat dirt, and in other servile ways demonstrate .to the satisfaction of the Donner und Blitzen Corporation their utter unfitness aud inefficiency as human beings. Somes Island, for tho nonce, is military territory, so that, if you would go there, you must first present yourself to the military authorities, and ask for permission. Having cleared yourself of suspicion, it is possible, but by no means certain, that you will bo allowed to go aboard the Janie Seddon. You' will then make yourself agreeable to the skipper, arid satisfy a non-com-missioned officer on duty for that and other purposes that your proceedings have boen duly authorised and that your uamo is what it is. After that, if you have been particularly nice to the ■ skipper, you may be invited to a seat on tho bridge, where you can enjoy the sea breeze and the viow, and listen to his comments on current events. Tho other day. I went over to see Major Matheson, the commandant on the island, an old friend of mine. In tho days when pcaco was piping away like one o'clock, and the late Lord lioberts was trying in vain to awaken the great, complacent British public to a sense of its danger, the Major spent his working days in licking boys into shape at Wellington College. When tho storm hurst it seemed fitting that he should transfer his disciplinary energies to Somes Island, there to keep a watchful eye on the doings of the Now Zealand representatives of the Donner und Blitzen Corporation. For sheer dulness of routine and l the ■wearisome loneliness of official isolation in tho midst of an assorted community of alien enomies, tiho Isle do Somes seemed to mo to bo almost as bad as tho Isle, du Diablo of Dreyfus fame. But tho Major hoars his lot with philosophic ehecrfulnoss, glad for the sight of a friendly fnco tho Janio Soddou as she slides up to tho little wharf. 'Tho daily arrival of tho .Tanie Seddon is to the population of Somes Island: what the long-distance express is to tho loungers of a hack-blocks flag station. It is a visitor from tho outat world, convoying nows, stores, a new face or two. Tho morning's anticipations aro fulfilled. Perhaps not. Then the visitor departs, and He pulso of the community returns to normal. As you step off tho jetty you become aware of a sentry with fixed bayonet on guard at the wharf entrance. Be.youd him again is a nondescript group, some in dungarees, others iu faded denims. You have an .intuition that this is Fritz, Hans, Eudolph, and Company —tho enemy, in fact. As you pass tho group you are eyed, openly by sonio, furtively by others. One-or two nod, and smile-; maybo a hat here and there is raised To all, you, tho visitor, aro

an object of interest. You aro' from tho outor world. What brings you? Then all at once you lemoreber sometliing, and your pulse surges. Tho countrymen of theso inoffensive-looking gentlemen ravaged Belgium with the wanton ferocity of a wild 'Beast. Perhaps it was a brother of that blue-eyed, fair-haired Wurtcmburgor whittling a stick on tho beach down there who pitchforked a quivering infant on the reddened point of his bayonet into a streot in Louvain, disembowelled its father, and "There's always something to do," said the.Major, breaking in on my thoughts. "We've been making some roads here, and doing some levelling up at the ton." : From the wharf you climb a steep traqlc to a compound that includes in ',£s 'general plan tho headquarters of +jie garrison, tho prisoners' quarters, kitchens, and other offices. It is just gn noon, the' time for prisoners' parade and roll-call before dinner. Tho parade ground is a flab rectangle. The prisoners—unwillingly, of course—did the flattening. Along three sides runs a high barbed-wire fence, and down ono side is a line of squadding posts, numbered one, two, three, and so on. When the bugle sounds, groups of two's and three's straggle in, parade in lino opposite their particular squadding post, and wait for the roll-call. Several of these men were offered a chance to return to Germany, and although some signified assent, a number promptly turned down the Fatherland, with expressive emphasis.

"I wouldn't send my corpse back to Germany," said one. / Another, desiring to add a punch to. his refusal, said: "I wouldn't send my dead 'corps' back to Germany." The prisoners' quarters aro neat and tidy, and tho mechanical patience characteristic of the German craftsman is revealed in a. number of interesting specimens of wood-work, beautifully polished inlaid cabinets, yachts, and a handsome model, stated to be faithful to detail, of the big HamburgAmerican liner Vaterland —at present lyiug interned in New York Harbour. Most of them hayo adopted the queer expedient of utilising their old shirts as wardrobes. They stitch the tails to the fronts of the garments, hang these hag-shirts up by the arms over their beds, and use the necks for tho openings. From everywhere on the walls the face of the Kaiser scowls down upon the contumacious beholders— form oleographs, black-and-white prints, and ferocious-looking specimens of original talent. One man—rather a cosmopolite, by the way—had made a speciality of generals. Needless to say, von Hindenburg and von Mackonsen occupied pride of place in his portrait gallery. Tim late von der Goltz seemed to bo in high favour also.

'f hoy are truJy a mixe<)-Jookin ji lot. A (o.w have- "dono timo" ; othorshave kept shops — some of thoso probably have "done" tho public. A' select coterie, made up of men of poor health, «wid one or two of superior ranis, mess by themselves, ar.d generally keep within their shells. One solitary individual, iiaoinp; tho hillside- with an air of the deepest dejection, was pointed nut to mo >.s a former graduate of Victoria Cnljegc. I'll bet he never imagined this as ho listened tn the "prof" scarifyinc the slackers in the Latin class, or watched a certain gon-tle-lookins philosopher of - natural' history ciittin.ct up somo "interesting biological.specimen." Such is the. fortune- of war—and it j michfc have been us! , | The Major's experience "in loco parentis" at the college has given him

a human insight, and tho result is apparent in the atmospheres of tho place. Two and a half years of detention have impressed upon the interned the fnct that it is better to obey than bo sorry —that a three-course dinner is infinitely to bo preferred to a diet of bread and water. It took a course of bread and water to convince a refractory Teuton that the courtesies of tho place required that he should say "Sir," when speaking to the commanding officer. Ho must have beea "some Prussian," for "other things" befel him in addition before tho strain of passive rosistance readied tho breaking point. Of course, none of them belie've the war news. It simply can't bo true! But they/ haro nevertheless been very subdued in spirit since the big things began to happen in th'o West. Their faces wore a different expression when the great Russian retreat waa fn progress.; when yon Mackensen was overrunning Serbia and attacking in Rumania.

But it is our innings now. The Allies aro at the wickets, knocking the Hun bowlers all over tho place/* and piling up th.6 score. What do they do with themselves? Looking at them as they go about on various occasions, it is hard to say. Britain lias laid down a certain kind of molly-coddling policy for tho treatment of. her prisoners of war. Wo must not do this, and we must not do that to them, and wo mnsfc treat them so and so and such and such. Considering what some of them did for a living before the war, they have never bad such a, time in their lives subject to good behaviour. Three good -meals a. day, a comfortable shelter, e and a bed to sleep in. One or two of them aro arrant grievance hunters—but they ought to he in lluhleben. If Britain treats her prisoners well—far too well, considering all things—the Hun authorities are loss fastidious.