REMARKABLE ESCAPE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1017, 9 November 1917, Page 6

REMARKABLE ESCAPE.

TWO {BOLD .AXISTIIALIAKS.' , AI ANY THE I LEIN GEXI’ERIENTJES. J/ONDON, Oct. U. Mott, of tho A.LIE, who 'has reached England, has' t-okl a- remarkablo story’ of ])luok, _ endurance, and physical strength which enabled him to survive -and escape .from Germany., When, trying to reorganise Ins company at llullecomt he received live successive wounds in the hand),. arm v oar, cihest.and nock,.-the.last touching iho spine and • knocking hint from tlie parapet, to tho bottom ol the trench, lip was 'unconscious, arid was in tho trohoh lor throe days, till.the Gormans carried .him off. Flo. declines to - discuss his troatiiioiit and experiences pending military permission. , Willi a frit'mi, Lientonatit H. C. .Fitzgerald, the Ausirtilian plotted an escape, bul- in tho interests ol .others it. is inadvisable, to reveal his plan. DASH THROUGH SENTRIES. . “The bedtinie bugle, .was,’’..says Aloft, ; The .signal To .da.sji through the lines of sentries, laden, with packs And' food, between tho. outbuildings. AVe, reached a potato field, every nldmnnt. expecting' I bullets from the guards. A quarter oi a mile, further on wo got into a, scrubby moor. There was. no sign- oL pursuit. We hurried, forward, floundering find falling in the'black bog, Avoiding, roads, ttnci- farms,- wo covered foil os and, miles past sleeping villages. At day-, break:wo lay <!owh in. Tv wood exhausted yoga rd loss' of tho ra in. Wo travelled only -at night, . and one.,, was always awake on guard., ‘-‘Guiv-phiU: involved traversing for-; ests, moors, and bogs, intersected by Vvatcrcourses, ami .drains, which were top lyfdo to leap arid too deep to wade, thus necessitating ‘miles .of, tramping to Jjiid ....ernssings. Tlie guards s .at _ the prison - hall .evidently ~sent- out warnings, and ire were twice almost recaptured. - BUSH TACTICS' SUCCEED.

.Lii'iitonnni.: AJott’s kiiowlotlgc of tluv nush was riiiViiluublc. Ho was born in tho country in. Viotoijia * and spent years on the Told fields of,- AA’c.sb ■ Australia; Continuing bis .story, ho .said “AA o doubled jon our -tracks, trudged along 1 watercourses, a lid ivalkod backwards to deceive our pursuers, ami dogs. Once wo were surrounded in some brushwood, and our chance of escape seemed a million to-oim against. -Tho wind rustling the long .grass enabled us to crawl: oh our stomachs into another thicket. Then we cleared away, expecting at every cross road to meet tho guards. One night wo awoke, and beard the regular, soft, thuds of. Footsteps nearby. They proved to bo those of an old cow chewing, the end. .. ; “On tho sixth night wc crossed a river by a bridge adjacent to a tavern. AVe saw a sergeant and two privates drinking 'and■ neglecting - ■ to guard- tlie bridge. At a second river I drew my spare- socks, over my boots and crossed alone. The. se-ntrv-. dial longed, so I rushed back and rejoined Fitzgerald, The. sentry did not lire, AVe made n dolour around ..another sentry, and reached a bank. 'Backing' ..our; . wet clothes, boots,--and food on our backs ill the darkness,,wo jumped into the icywater. Ha'lLway across we' heard the cry ‘‘Halt-,’ but did .not heed it. AVo reached -,thc bank, staggered-: forward, and-fell '.into ,a muddy ditch. AA 7 c beard the sentries -shouting iis-Tve rushed into tho forest. I lost my dear old pal. I waited a long, time for him, and I suppose ho was. vecaptnrccL ;;■ ALONE IN THE' FOREST. • :

“Having wrung'out my clothes, I set ok downbeartally through the lonely forest. Shivering with cofcl, 1 stumbled in the blackness of the forest for two hours till L came to a sheet of water 250 yards, wide.. It vvas hopeless for me to try to swim it, as 1 was weak from my .wounds, which had aiofc healed. I was unable to raise my right arm above the- shoulder! 1 ■ I sat on. the bank like a-groat kid,-disheartened. '.After a rest X explored, and found a narrow stretch. I jumped inland swam. My boots, which wei'o ou my-brick, floated off, but I recovered t-llmu. In trying to replace them I sank, and was .dearly drowned. I took the -laces.in.’my teeth. Then the bundle slipped under iny neck. •‘At last I reached the bank, and; caught the branch,.of a 'tree. Unable to raise myself, I lay in tlie mud until■ I recovered strength. AVben 1 proceeded 1 foiind that J .was, on an island, with another wide stretch of green, slime-covered water ahead./ 1 was overjoyed at. lindiiig a. boat, and 1 jiuriimd in, but found that if was chained and padlocked to ft tree, and It Was unable to release it. ■’ -WALKING ON AIR.

‘■Hopelessly T. walked into iho wafer, but, found it shallow and waded through ii. to the. other hank. Then, i 101 l that 1 was .Walking on air, for t know this to be, lire last of'the rivers. * “1 was now three miles from the frontier. I . stood all May. .hwiiigind j«y arms and stamping my 'feet to, mini-, in iso the cold arid .to help’mo forgot iny hungei; for my food .haclr .sunk in the river., I'hoped that .for. t‘ho dash night there would he u luirrieanjo,-, but it., was clear starlight,,’and the slightest sound seemed like thunder to mo. -.1 took:off my boots and crept,t.lu; two miles, stopping and watching lor sentries,; thinking that every-bush was an enemy,. My nerves conjured up soldiers everywhere. 1 came to a. road I Intel expected, crossed .it,,-and knew that I was safely in Holland.” Aloft is m.-splendid specimen of an Australian; lie is not bo!|sfful. He has recovered' from his'hardships, and is applying to,rejoin his mbit.