“But you are keeping a whole lot of information to yourself,” stormed the German officer. “But we’ll get it out of you sooner or later, never fear!” and then he ordered a couple of the guards to take Dave back to the prison pen.
The other prisoners were also questioned one by one. A few of them probably told more than they should, doing this perhaps innocently, but the majority were very close-mouthed, so much so that their German questioners were anything but pleased.
“These American swine think they can do as they please,” grumbled one of the German officers. “But just wait—we’ll show them what’s what!”
As a result of their holding back information desired by the Huns, the prisoners were treated with more severity than ever. Some of the windows of the horse-stable were boarded up, and their rations were cut down to such small portions that even the most liberal-minded men in the crowd demurred.
“This is positively inhuman!” declared one of the Canadians. “It’s against the rules of war, too!”
“England will have a big claim to settle against Germany when this war is over,” declared another.
“I reckon Uncle Sam will have a claim, too,” put in an American prisoner from Alabama.
Several days, including Sunday, were spent in this prison pen, and then one morning, while it was raining hard, one of the doors was opened and a number of prisoners were told to come out as their names were called.
“I guess they’re going to take us to some other place,” remarked Dave. “I wonder where?”
“I hope it’s some better place than this,” growled Oscar Davis.