Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-25

house were not aroused.
Frequently I took chance OF
searching u back yard at night in the
hope of finding food scraps, but my
success in that direction was SO slight
that / soon decided that it wasn't
worth the risk and / continued to
Z live on raw vegetables that / could
pick with safety in the fields and the
occasional meal that / was able to get
from the Belgian peasants In the day
time.
Nevertheless l was determined to
get more in the way of clothing and
when night came / picked out house
that looked as though 1t might furnish
me with what 1 wanted. 1t was
moonlight night and If / could get in
the barn I would have fair chance Of
finding my way around by the moon
light which would enter the windows.
The barn adjoined the main part Of
the house, but CROPPED around very
carefully and soon 1 touched some
thing hanging on peg. L diGnt
know what it was, but 1 confiscated
it and carried it out into the fields.
There in the moonlight / examined
my booty and found that it was an old
coat. 1t was too short for an over
coat and too long for an ordinary
coat, but nevertheless / made use of
IL. 1t had probably been an oyercoat
for the Belgian who had worn it.
Some days later l got scarf from
a Belgian peasant and with this equip
ment / was able to conceal my uni
form entirely.
Later on, however, decided that 1t
was too dangerous to keep the uniform
on anyway and when night came l
dug a hole and buried 1t.
never realized until 1 had to part
with it just how much thought of
that uniform. 1t had been with me
through hard trials and l felt as if /
We're abandoning a friend when l
parted with it. I was tempted to keep
the wings off the tunic. but thought
that would be a dangerous concession
to sentiment in the event that / was
ever captured. 1t was the only dis
tinction | had left, as I had given
the Royal Flying Corps badges and
the stars of my rank to the German
flying officers as souvenirs, but l felt
that it was safer to discard ii. AS
it finally turned out, through all my
subsequent experiences, my escape
would never have been jeopardized
had 1 kept my uniform but, of course,
I had no idea what was in store for
me.
There was one thing which surprised
me very much as 1 journeyed through
Belgium and that was the scarcity of
dogs. Apparently most of them had
been taken by the Germans and what
are left are beasts of burden who are
too tired at night to bark or bother
5ntruders. This was a mighty good
thing for me, for l would certainly
have stirred them up in passing
through back-yards as 1 sometimes |
did when 1 was making short cut.
One night as l came out of yard
it was so pitch dark that I could not |
see ten feet ahead of me and / was |
right in the back of a little village, |
L ulu iIp1 hho" II. Niu"iSN
along fearing might come to a cross |
roads at which there would in all !
be a German sentry.
My precautiOn served me in good |
stead for had l come out in the main |
street of the village and within twenty |
feet of me, sitting on some bricks |
where they were building little store,
l could see the dim outline of a Ger
man spiked helmeti
/ could not cross the street and the
only thing to do was TO back track.
1t meant making a long detour and
losing two hours Of precious time and
fort, but there was no help for it,
20 1 plodded YEARLY back, cursing
he Huns at every step.
Tue next night while crossing some
ield.s I came to road. 1t was one of
he Iuain roads of Belgium and was
,aved with c6bble stones. On these
Dads you can hear wagon or horse
bout a mile or two away. l listened
ntently before I moved ahead and
tearing nothing concluded that the
way was clear.
AS emerged from the field and got
ny first glimpse of the road. got the
hook of nv lifei In either direction,