the further organization of our courier service and the general technique of our secret activities. At his apartment in the Kreutzstrasse at Zurich I made all arrangements for my last return journey. I slipped my notes into the heels of my boots and sewed others into my clothes with the ones which had already been sewn into my coat-collar at Geneva by Olga Masaryk. I then bought a number of books on the war and started off for home.
At that time journeys to and from foreign countries involved considerable risks. The first thorough examination took place at Buchs and the second at Feldkirch. Besides that, however, all along the Tyrolese line military and police patrols were continually passing through the railway carriages and examining the travellers. I simply left matters to chance.
Beyond Arlberg one of these examinations took place in my compartment. I had several questionable books, and in order to hide this fact I had also bought German anti-Entente books as well as German and Austro-Hungarian propagandist literature. Having twice escaped detection and seeing that the decisive moment had again arrived, I decided to tempt fate for the third time. I made a parcel of all my books and on the top of it I put a copy of Simplicissimus and the Internationale Wochenschrift, together with a few German books. When the officials who were carrying out the inspection arrived and asked me what I had, I showed them the parcel and told them to look for themselves. One of the officials lifted up the copy of Simplicissimus, looked at the title of the two German books, examined one of them to see whether it contained any loose papers, and then passed on.
But I had no further desire thus to tempt fate. I therefore packed the books up, waited for a favourable moment, and put them into the next carriage into the lavatory with the railwaymen’s belongings. They remained there during the new examination which took place before Salzburg, and when we had entered Austria I took the bundle out again. These and similar moments, many of which fell to my lot during the war, strengthened my nerves and helped me to cultivate presence of mind.
I stayed for one day in Vienna as I wanted to inform Machar, the chief representative of the “Maffia” there, about the general situation, the entry of Italy into the war, and Masaryk’s views. I also had a message from Masaryk to deliver
