THE RE-CAPTURED GERMANS.

Taihape Daily Times, 31 December 1917, Page 5

THE RE-CAPTURED GERMANS.

LIFE ON THE SCOW.

END OF THE ESCALADE. Tho Auckland Star says there is still much, speculation regarding the German prisoners who escaped from Motuihi and were recaptured and brought back last week.lt is common knowledge of course, that these prisoners are now held at the Mt. Eden gaol till arrangements' are made to hold them elsewhere. In view of the circumstances it is hardly likely that they will again be interned at Motuihi, as, though apparently they cannot be punished for their attempt at escape, the authorities are, nevertheless justified in taking such steps as they consider necessary to prevent a similar occurrence in the future; Count von Luckner protested strongly against being taken to Mt. Eden, contending that this was not in accordance with the articles of war, and that the authorities had no right to take this course, The fact remains, however, that they will be held there until definite arrangements have been made elsewhere. "HARD LUCK, EH?" Captain Bourke, of the scow Moa, has some interesting experiences to relate regarding the prisoners while they were in possession of the Moa. As has already been stated, the Germans treated the crew of the Moa well, and Captain Bourke's verdict is that the Count is a good sport. When the latter. and his men first boarded the Moa, Captain Bourke naturally indulged in some language that was not altogether parliamentary, and remarked that it was d hard-luck to be captured in that fashion. Count von Luckner simply smiled and took charge of the scow. The joke was on the Count, however, when he in turn w T as captured. When he was going over the stern of the scow to go on board the capturing steamer, he turned to Captain Bourke, and remarked smilingly, "Hard luck, eh?" It was Captain Bourke's turn to smile, and he did. ~' The Count,and the. •other prisoners spoke.freely of the do-., .ings of the Germans while'they were :in charge of the sco;w. . They. , were very, bitter against,the English, as a nation, blaming ..them for all their troubles, since the outbreak of war. This animosity, howeyer,., did. not take any personal form so far, as the crew of the Moa were, concerned. In, addition to other matters the Count mentioned the case of Captain Fryatt, who, it will be remembered, was shot by the Germans, under circumstances that did not redound to their credit. He stated that the Germans had no idea who the man they had shot- Was till they saw his name in the English papers, and noted the fact that he had been presented with a watch by- the King. Following this- they made an inspection of Captain -Fryatt's ' belongings and proved his identity by the watch. ■"■■ ' • ■ A CART AND AN OPEN DOOR. On the scow Count von Luckner and Lieut. Kircheiss, installed themselves in Captain Bourke's quarters aft, the rest of the Germans being also housed aft. A" picture of Lord Kitchener had been placed up by the crew of the scow in the place where they took their meals. This has been pulled down by the Germans, and pictures of Hindenburg placed in the captain's quarters instead. The discipline between the prisoners appeared to be fairly rigid, and the Count was saluted as soon as he appeared on deck in the mornings. The latter was questioned

regarding his escape from the island, and in reply is reported to have said: "Well, if you supply me with a cart and leave the door wide open what would you do?" It was stated also by the Germans on board that they were prepared to escape some seventeen or eighteen day's before the actual night of their escape, and that they got a German cook appointed oh the island so that he might assist them in procuring the necessary provisions, especially the tinned fowl, They only ran the German flag to the masthead when they found that they had to surrender again to the steamer that effected their capture, and, as already stated, they also hoisted it at the time they took the Moa; that is to say, one of the men held the flag aloft on a small pole. DAMAGE TO THE MOA.

The captain of the Moa, which is

now berthed alongside the LeylandO'Brien Timber Co.'s mill, states that the vessel has been considerably damaged and it is estimated that it will probably cost some £2OO to restore her to her former seaworthy condition. "When, she left Tauranga she had on board about SO,OOO feet of sawn rimu, which was worth between £SOO and £6OO. It is estimated that about twothirds of this has been thrown overboard and, unfortunately it is the timber of the best quality that has been thrown into the sea, so- that the loss to the owners is considerable. When the Germans first started to jettison this timber they were going to throw overboard a big derrick which had been unshipped and was lying on top of the timber. Captain Bourke, however, saved the situaticn by remark-

ing that if they tnrew this overboard they would be "unable to hoist the launch on board when the weather took up. This argument appealed to the Count, and the derrick was retained.

A great deal has been said regardinteresting to learn that on the scow? in possession of the prisoners. It is interesting to learn tha ton the scowthere wercjrwo 600-gallon tanks forward, and one 400-gallon tank aft. These had all been fiilled at Omakorca, and contained beautifully fresh water obtained from a spring at the latter place.