The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-08-30

lihS Suuit, uut uiu bOt KNOW |
whether they were Germans or not, and |
had gone through too much to risk |
my liberty even for food. l swallowed |
my hunger instead.
Shortly afterwards 1t began to rain |
and about o'clock the men left,
scurried around looking for crumbs,
but found none, and when darkness |
came l went on my way once more.
That night came to river and as
1T was the first time my clothes had
been dry in a long time. l thought
would try to keep them that way as
long as possible. I accordingly took
off all my things and made them into
two bundles, planning to carry one
load across and then swim back for
the other.
The river was quite wide, but am
fairly good swimmer and / figured
could rest awhile after the first trip
before going back for the second
bundle.
The first swim was uneventful. When
l landed on the other side / drank till
my thirst was quenched and then
swan back. After resting awhile l
started across a third time, with my
shoes and several other things firmly
tied to my head. Just about ten feet
from the opposite bank one of the
shoes worked its way loose and sank
in about eight feet Of water There
was nothing to do but finish the trip
and then go back and dive for the
missing shoe, as l could not go on
with a single shoe.
Diving in my weakened condition
was a considerable strain, but I had to
have that shoe and 1 kept at 1t for
| nearly an hour before l eventually
found 1t, and was pretty nearly all
In by that time.
That was the last time l ever took
my shoes off, for my feet were becom-
ing so swollen that l figured If / took
my shoes off might not be able to get
them on again.
This stunt Of crossing the river and
diving for the lost shoe had consumed
about three hours, and after resting
some fifteen minutes went on my way
again. l had gone nearly mile when
l came to another river, about the
same size as the one had just crossed
/ walked along the bank awhile, think
ing might be lucky enough to find a
boat or a bridge, but after walking
about half an hour l received one OF
those disappointments which "come
once in a lifetime" l found that thi.
river was the one / had just swuml
had swum 1t on the bend and was still
on the wrong side. Had l made only {
short detour in the first place l would
have avoided all the annoyance of thu
past three hours and saved m,
strength and time. was never *
mad in my life at myself as was t.
think that had not paid more atten
ton to the course Of the stream be
fore undertook to cross it, but as q
matter Of fact, there was really nc
way Of telling. The river was moi
shown on the map at all.
Now had to cross 1t, whereas be
fore could have turned 1t. / walked
boldly into the water, not bothering tC
take my clothes off this time, nor die
l ever bother to take them off after
wards when swimming canals an(
rivers. l found it was impossible t.
keep them dry anyway, and so / nigh
just as well swim in them and say;
time.
All the next day l spent in forest
to which my nights travel had brough
me about 5 o'clock in the morning.
kept on my way through the woods
until daylight came, and then, thinkin;
the place would afford fairly good con
cealment, I concluded to rest unit
night.
The prospects Of even a good sleeI
were dismal, however, for about thu
time the suns face should have APP
! peared, a drilling rain began and
. gave up my search for a dry spo
which would serve me as q bed. SOM
of the leaves were beginning to fall
but of course there was not enough o
them to form a covering for TIL
ground, and the dampness seemed t,
: have penetrated everywhare
WduueTeu drOunu through IN
: woods for two or three hours lookin;
for shelter but without any success
for although the trees were large, tn
forest was not dense, and there wa
practically no brush or shrubbery
Consequently one couls get fair,
clear view for some distance, and
knew it would be unwise to drop of
to sleep just any place, or someon
would surely happen on to me.
Once l came very near to the end
of the woods and heard voices of mel
driving by in wagon, but l couldn'
/, make out just what they were, ant
l instinct told me had better not com
out of the woods, so l turred back
. Here and there small artificial ditche
, had been dug. which at a dry seasol
might have Graded weary fugitive
! but now they, tooy were filed wit
water. Once l singled out good bi
5 tree and large branches and thought