“If they don’t give me something to eat pretty soon I’m going to try to make a break for it, even if it costs me my life,” put in Ralph Thompson recklessly. He had come from a rich family, and previous to entering the army had been used to the best of living.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” warned Dave. “It won’t help you any, and it will only make it so much the harder for the rest of us. By their looks, some of those Huns wouldn’t like any better fun than to shoot down every one of us.”
It was fully an hour before the prisoners were given anything to eat, then each got a small tin full of weak soup and a chunk of black bread.
“I can’t eat such chow as that,” declared one of the prisoners after tasting the stuff. “Why, it isn’t even respectable dish-water!” Nevertheless, being very hungry, he managed at last to soak up his chunk of bread in the mess and devour it.
Dave was of the opinion that the food served was decidedly poor, but it was better than nothing, and he ate it without comment.
“Anyway,” remarked Ralph Thompson, “it’s a little bit filling, and that’s something. I won’t pull my belt any tighter until I am worse off.”
The next day the prisoners were joined by a number of others, and all were marched still further to the rear, arriving about noon at a freight-yard on the outskirts of a small town. Here were a number of box-cars, and the prisoners were herded into these like so many cattle.
Over thirty men were in the car to which Dave and the other Americans were assigned. The car had only small slatted windows at either end. After being given a couple of buckets of water the door was closed and locked upon them.
“I don’t see how we are going to stand this,” grumbled one of the prisoners. “Why, I can hardly breathe now!” He was a short, thick-set fellow, and consequently somewhat at a disadvantage in that crowd.
Of course, every one wanted to get in the vicinity of one of the slatted windows so that he might get the benefit of what little fresh air was stirring. The car had been used for the transportation of cattle, and had not been cleaned.