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I thanked him and then addressed each one of his men individually, and each
gave me his word that he would abide by all that I had outlined. It was further
understood that we were to act as a military organization under military rules
and discipline--I as commander, with Bradley as my first lieutenant and Olson as
my second, in command of the Englishmen; while von Schoenvorts was to act as
an additional second lieutenant and have charge of his own men. The four of us
were to constitute a military court under which men might be tried and sentenced
to punishment for infraction of military rules and discipline, even to the passing
of the death-sentence.
I then had arms and ammunition issued to the Germans, and leaving Bradley
and five men to guard the U-33, the balance of us went ashore. The first thing we
did was to taste the water of the little stream--which, to our delight, we found
sweet, pure and cold. This stream was entirely free from dangerous reptiles,
because, as I later discovered, they became immediately dormant when subjected
to a much lower temperature than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. They dislike cold
water and keep as far away from it as possible. There were countless brook-trout
here, and deep holes that invited us to bathe, and along the bank of the stream
were trees bearing a close resemblance to ash and beech and oak, their
characteristics evidently induced by the lower temperature of the air above the
cold water and by the fact that their roots were watered by the water from the
stream rather than from the warm springs which we afterward found in such
abundance elsewhere.
Our first concern was to fill the water tanks of the U-33 with fresh water, and
that having been accomplished, we set out to hunt for game and explore inland
for a short distance. Olson, von Schoenvorts, two Englishmen and two Germans
accompanied me, leaving ten to guard the ship and the girl. I had intended
leaving Nobs behind, but he got away and joined me and was so happy over it
that I hadn't the heart to send him back. We followed the stream upward
through a beautiful country for about five miles, and then came upon its source
in a little boulder-strewn clearing. From among the rocks bubbled fully twenty
ice-cold springs. North of the clearing rose sandstone cliffs to a height of some
fifty to seventy-five feet, with tall trees growing at their base and almost
concealing them from our view. To the west the country was flat and sparsely
wooded, and here it was that we saw our first game--a large red deer. It was
grazing away from us and had not seen us when one of my men called my
attention to it. Motioning for silence and having the rest of the party lie down, I
crept toward the quarry, accompanied only by Whitely. We got within a hundred
yards of the deer when he suddenly raised his antlered head and pricked up his
great ears. We both fired at once and had the satisfaction of seeing the buck
drop; then we ran forward to finish him with our knives. The deer lay in a small
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