"BLUFF, PURE BLUFF"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 14, 11 October 1917, Page 6

"BLUFF, PURE BLUFF"

THE CAPTURE OF 40 GERMANS. At the prize distribution at the City of London School the headmaster told the following story of how one of the "old boys" of the school, now an officer in tiio Army, captured -10 'Germans:— Tuero was an'occasion last year, said the head, when a mild boy visited me. For the moment I could not recall hisnamc. We shook hands, and he eaul, "I am Johnston." "Of course," l-'suid; 'the man who caught -10 Germans. You are just the nian 1 want to see. Tell mo liow you did if." "Bluff, air; pure bluff," was the -reply. He appeared to nave become separated from his men, and he readied a German dugout, which was a dark tunnel. Ho hesitated to enter at iirst, as he was alone. But he decided to go in .and explore. After he had gone some distance lie heard the sound ot voices. Again he hesitated, and again he decided on whn was the right go on. He aftei wards turned on his electric torch, and then saw half a dozen fellows. He immediately, speaking German, ordered then? to put their hands up. Johnston saw that the men were disarmed, and they began lo file past him. When half a dozen had passed .he. thought they must be coining to an end; but still they came, until at length Johnston began to feel a little uneasy. "1 wonder what will happen when we get outside," was a thought in his mind. < • ' In all, Johnston saw 20 men pass him, and a German officer brought up the rear. He, too, was disarmed. Johnston had now made up his mind to surrender himself to fate. He conversed in German, as pleasantly as he could, with the officer, and to His great surprise, when h« got outside, he found that some of his own men had come up, so he gave an order as if everything iiml been prearranged, and the prisoners were marched off to the- rear. Lieutenant Johnston has since been awarded the Military Cross.