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He never knew them by any other names than Freddie and Tennert the first name of one and the last name of the other but so great was his liking for them that it included the whole of sturdy, plodding, indomitable old England into the bargain. They never talked patriotism, and seemed to regard the war merely as a sort of a job that had to be done just like any other job.
For later he learned that a heavy fine was imposed on these poor wretches if they showed themselves before enemy prisoners, and he wondered where they got the money to pay the fines. The prison camp was in the form of a great oval and looked as if it might formerly have been a "rice track," as the all-knowing Tennert had said.
"You'd be a pretty honorable sort of a thief," said Freddie. "But, anyway," said Tom, "I was going to ask you about escapin' from a military prison. That ain't dishonorable, is it?" "No, strike me blind, it ain't! But it's jolly 'ard!" said Tennert. "It's fer them to keep yer and fer you to grease off, if you can," said Freddie. "If you give your parole, it's like a treaty "
"Do you believe," he asked, after a considerable silence, "that a feller can do more, kind of, if he's doing his own work and I mean if he thinks he's got to do two people's work for a special reason?" Freddie did not seem quite to "get" him, but Tennert answered readily, "You jolly well can! Look at Kippers wot cime 'ome fer orspital treatment arfter Verdoon. 'E lived in Chelsea.
The only way would be to go down around through Switzerland around the end of the line, kind of." "Down through Alsice," grunted Tennert. "'E'd 'ave a 'underd miles of it," said Freddie. "Unless Fritzie offered 'im a carriage. Hi, Fritzie, w'en do we have tea?"
I don't know if they have tree-toads here, but I could find out which is north and south that way if they have." "Blimy, if we don't listen and see if we can 'ear 'em s'ying 'polly voo Fransay' in the trees!" said Tennert. "But a feller could never get into France that way," said Tom. "'Cause he'd have to cross the battle line.
"A bloomin' scrap o' piper," interrupted Tennert. "They wouldn't put you on yer honor because they don't know what honor is. It ain't in Fritzie's old dictionary." Tom was glad to think of it in this way. He had great respect for the opinions of these two Britishers and his mind dwelt upon this only hope even before he had so much as a glimpse of his prison.
He still retained his companionable status with Tennert and Freddie, but they fell in with their own set from good old "Blighty" and Tom saw little of them. There was absolutely no rule of life in the prison camp. They were simply kept from getting away.
They had come far enough south to be abreast of Belgium now and there must lately have been a successful German raid along the Flanders front, for both British and Belgian soldiers were driven aboard by the score. All of the British seemed exactly like Tennert and Freddie, cheerful, philosophical, chatting about Fritzie and the war as if the whole thing were a huge cricket game.
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