express my feelings very mildly. But, with an effort, I succeeded in
keeping my _sang-froid_, which I am afraid only served to convince the
officer that he was correct in his charge.

He assailed me with interrogations, demanded my passport, and after
perusing it closely, enquired why I was travelling to Russia at such a
time. "Why!" he pointed out, "you only left England on August 1st, when
Russia and Germany were on the eve of war!"

I gave a detailed explanation of my mission, but I failed to shake his
suspicions. I had to surrender my ticket for inspection and this caused
him to frown more heavily than ever.

"Where is your camera?"

I produced two which were in my pockets, keeping my tiny companion in
its secret resting place.

At the sight of the two cameras he gave a smile of complete
self-satisfaction. He handed them to the guard together with my ticket.
Turning on his heel he remarked:

"You'll ask for these articles when you reach Wesel!"

As he strode down the corridor the serious character of my situation
dawned upon me. My companions had already formed their opinions
concerning my immediate future. All thoughts of the war vanished before
a discussion of my awkward predicament. I saw that the injunction to
make enquiry for my cameras and ticket at Wesel, which is an important
military centre, was merely a ruse to prevent my escape. My arrest at