Prisoners were allowed to receive as many letters as they were lucky enough to have sent them; and there does not appear to be any restriction as to the length of the letter.
They are allowed to write two letters of four pages each, and four post-cards each month. All letters are censored by a staff of censors in the camp. Outgoing letters and post-cards are held for ten days, with a view of ascertaining, I believe, whether invisible ink had been used.
News arrives in the camp principally by the arrival of new prisoners, who are kept in quarantine for about ten days.
German official bulletins are posted in the anteroom; and the _Continental News_, which is published in the English language, or rather disgraces the English language by using it, is delivered daily. By the bye, the _Continental News_ is a rag of the worst kind, and contains lies of the worst description.
My orderly came to me one day, and after carefully closing the door, he drew from under his tunic a few scraps of an English newspaper a month old.
We devoured the news eagerly, as well as the advertisements, and passed it quietly around to the other officers.
He had been sweeping up the canteen after the censor had finished opening up the parcels. One parcel had been wrapped up in the newspaper, and unthinkingly the censor overlooked it, and tore the paper into fragments and threw it on the floor.
My orderly, while sweeping, noticed the pieces on the floor. The censor was in the room, and he went on sweeping until, when the censor's head was turned, he stooped and, snatching it up, stuffed it into his tunic.
I SALUTE THE WALL. THE STORY OF AN EGG. A NOVEL BANQUET. JOY RIDE ON A LORRY. THE SWISS COMMISSION
When I arrived at Osnabruck, I found three English orderlies, and to my surprise and delight, two were men of my own regiment who had been captured at Gommecourt Wood on July 1.
The commandant came up to visit me the following morning, something very unusual; but no blind prisoner had ever been confined within the walls of Osnabruck before, and I suppose I was an object of interest.
I heard Rogan say, "Commandant," and click his heels.
I stood up and saluted. I was turned around, for, unknowingly, I had gravely saluted the wall.