I, myself, sternly refused to entrust my head to L——­’s hands.  I naturally thought that I should receive a smart punishment for thus flying in the face of the autocratic order which had gone forth, but strange to say I found Major Bach somewhat reasonable on this point.  This is about the only redeeming feature I can offer concerning Major Bach’s rule over us.  I think, however, that he was somewhat more closely observant than was generally supposed to be the case, because those of us who escaped the hair-cutting precaution happened to be the very prisoners who were unremitting in their efforts to preserve unassailable personal cleanliness.  No doubt L——­ was disappointed to be deprived of a few possible heads upon which to demonstrate his quaint skill, but we succeeded in escaping from his clutches.

Although vermin did overrun the camps, not only of Sennelager, but of other prisons of whose interiors I made the acquaintance, I can assert truthfully that I was never troubled with the unsolicited company of body lice, and only once or twice discovered one or two unwelcome strangers in my hair.  The coarse and harsh German soap effectively rendered my hair untenantable.  But some of the prisoners were overwhelmed and presented terrifying spectacles.  It was here that the superiority of the Britisher in matters pertaining to personal hygiene towered over all the varying races by which he was surrounded, not even excepting the Germans.  From our own experience and observation it was only too palpable that the Teuton soldiers are quite as careless in this connection as the less enlightened peoples of south-eastern Europe, because they were as severely infested—­if not more so—­with vermin.

One of the jobs set to us was making hay in an adjoining field and for the purpose of getting away from the camp for a few hours many of us volunteered for this toil.  The hay had to be laden upon huge waggons, the load thus easily exceeding that incidental to British hay-making operations, and this had to be hauled to Paderborn for storage in lofts.

Although I was on the sick list at the time I could not resist the chance to secure a glimpse of new surroundings and a few strange faces.  It was on this occasion that I made my first, but abortive, attempt to escape.  The sentry was dozing in the hot afternoon sun, having found a soft couch on a haycock.  I slunk off towards the trees which surround the camp.  Presently I spotted a sentry.  I passed him safely and still keeping to the trees pushed forward, only to be surprised to discover another sentry standing on watch with his loaded rifle.  Him, too, I eluded, and was congratulating myself upon my success when I was disturbed by the clattering of approaching horses.  I peered through the trees and saw a squadron of cavalry trotting towards me.  I slipped into the undergrowth to throw myself prone under a sheltering bush.  The soldiers passed within twelve feet of me.  I held