“So do I. I’ve had three years of it.”
“How long have you been a prisoner?” asked Nelson.
“Four months. It’s better than fighting.” He grinned and winked. “There was an American in the prison camp where I was guard last Winter who used to say the United States would be in the war this Summer, but I didn’t believe him. He was a sailor, like you, but not in the Navy. Now I know that he was right.”
“What sort of a looking man was he?” asked Nelson.
“Oh, he was a tall, oldish man. I must go on or Frenchie will stick me with his bayonet.”
“Wait! What was his name, this man you speak of?”
“I don’t know. I never knew his name. He had a number, but I forget it. He was all right. Nice man. Ship’s captain, I think. Tall, big fellow, with——”
There was a shout from the direction of the water and one of the guards came running toward them, bayonet lowered. The German laughed and moved on to receive a scolding. Having finished with the prisoner, the guard hurried toward Nelson. He was polite but stern and talked so fast that, even had Nelson understood French, he would not have been able to follow him. But the meaning was apparent. It was forbidden to speak with the prisoners. Nelson tried haltingly to explain that the prisoner in question had information of interest to him, but he couldn’t begin to find enough words, and the guard evidently knew no English save “No”; and afterwards Nelson decided that he hadn’t even been saying “No,” but “Non”!
Nelson lingered about a few minutes longer, but on his next trip the German sedulously avoided his vicinity, and, as the guards were watching him closely every moment, he finally gave up the attempt and made his way forth again. Of course, he reflected, it was probably only a coincidence. There were doubtless many Americans at German prison camps who had been ship’s captains and who were tall and “oldish.” Still, he couldn’t get it out of his head that the man who had predicted the entry of America into the war was his father. He determined to get further speech with the prisoner and tried to think how to arrange for it. In the end he decided to secure the intercession of the Gyandotte’s commander, and with that thought in mind returned to the ship at the first opportunity. But Fate was against him, for the captain was on shore and remained there until late that evening. Nelson took his gun captain, Garey, into his confidence meanwhile, and Garey was sympathetic but not overly impressed.