Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-18

into Set9 ium- ne fcdsy Ootreo
Line Shows the Course of That Part
Of His Journey Toward Holland
fields, beet patches, woods, sEamp-
anywhere provided was not likely
70 be seen and captured Food was
an important consideration 10 me, but
It was secondary 70 conceaIment-
AZ last brought up ST the Meuse
river at e place between Namur and
. Huy. and IL was here that came near.
est Of al 10 giving up the struggle.
The Meuse 81 this point is about
half nile Tide-as wide as the Hud-
son River al West Point Had been
in normal condition wouldn't have
heSitzted q moment 10 swim across
San Diego bay, California Is g mile
and half wide, and had often swan
across and back. and the San Joaquin.
which Is also e mile and half vide,
had never proven an obstacle 10 me-
In the wretched shape in which
then was. however, the Meuse looked
Ike the Atlantic ocean TO me
looked for boat, but could find none
I tried 10 get 8 piece of wood upon
which l hoped to ferry across, bat
Was equally unsuccessful
Get across 1 must. and 1 decided
there was nothing 10 do but TO swim
II wss then about o'clock in the
morning. / Esded in and was soon
In beyond ny depth and had TO swim
After about sn hour Of il was very
much exhausted. and / doubted
whether I could make the opposite
barn although il was not more than
thirty or forty feet sway. I choked
and sssped, and my arms and legs
were completely tagged out I sank
little and tried to touch bottom with
ny feet. but the water was still be
yO1d ny depth
There are times when everyone viii
pray, and l WIS no exception l
prayed for strength to make those
few wicked yards, and then, with all
the viii power 1 could summon, struck
out for dear life. II seemed 8 life
time before I finally felt the welcome
mud of bottom and was able to drag
myself up TO the bank. but I got there
The bank was rather high and / YVES
shaking so violently thzt when 1 took
hold Of the grass TO pull myself UP.
the grass shook out of my hands.
could not retain NY grip. was afraid
/ would faint then and there, but I
kept pulling and crawling frznically
up that internal hank and finally
made IL
Then for the first time in my life
fainted-fsinted from utter exhauS-
ton
II was now about 4 O'Clock in the
morning and 1 was entirely unpro-
tected from observation II anyone
had come along would have been
found hing there dead TO the world
Possibly two hours passed before ]
regained Consciousness. and then. M
doubt, only because the rain was
beating in my face.
i knew that ! had TO get away. as
il was broad daylight. Moreover.
there was tow-path right there and
any minute bOSt might come along
and find me- But il was equally
dangerous for me to sttempt to travel
very far. Fortunately / found some
shrubbery near by and l hid there all
day, without food or drink
That night / made s. little head
way, but when day broke 1 bad a
dreadful fever and was delirious. L
talked TO myself and thereby In
creased my chances Of capture. In
ny lucid intervals when j realized that
had been talking. the thought sent
| chill through me. because In the
silent night even the slightest sound
,arries far across the Belgian country.
began TO fear that another day OF
his would about finish me-
I have a distinct recollection OF
fdiculous conversation carried on
With an imaginary Pat o'Brien--a
crt OF duplicate OF myself I argued
nth him as marched drearily along
nd he answered me back In kind.
nd when we disagreed. l called upon