Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-08-22


fast us l possibly could, determined
to spend the night somewhere in the
fields and make another and more
careful survey the following night.
The view | had obtained, however
was sufficient to convince me that the
pole-vault idea was out Of the ques
ton even if 1 had pole and was g
proficient pole-vaulter. The three
fences covered span of at least twelve
feet and to clear the last barbed wire
fence it would be necessary to vault
not only at least ten feet high, but at
least fourteen feet wide, with the GER
tain knowledge that to touch the cleo
trically charged fence meant instant
| death. There would be no second
chance If you came cropper the first
| time.
! The silt idea was also impractical
| BILE because of the lack of suitable
timber and tools with which to con-
struct the stills.
1t seemed to me that the best thing
to do was travel up and down the line
bit in the hope that some spot might
be discovered where conditions were
more favorable, although l don't know
just what l expected along those
lines.
1t was mighty disheartening to real
ize that only few feet away lay GER
tain liberty and that the only things
preventing me from reaching 1t were
three confounded fences. 1 thought OF
my machine and wished that some
kind fairy would set it in front of me
for just one minute.
l spent the night in clump of
bushes and kept in hiding most of the
next day, only going abroad for an
hour or two in the middle of the day
to intercept some Belgian peasant
and beg for food The Belgians in this
section were naturally very much
afraid of the Germans and 1 Jared
badly. In nearly every house German
soldiers were quartered and 1t was
out of the question for me to apply
for food in that direction. The prox-
unity of the border made everyone
eye each other with more or less sus-
picion and I soon came to the conclu-
sion that the safest thing 1 could do
was to live on raw vegetables which l
could steal from the fields at night as
had previously done.
That night 1 made another survey
of the barrier in that vicinity, but it
looked just as hopeless as it had the
night before and I concluded that
only wasted my time there.
l spent the night wandering north,
guided by the North Star which had
served me so faithfully in all my trav-
cling. Every mile or two 1 would make
my way carefully to the barrier to see
if conditions were any better, but 1t
seemed to be the same all along. / felt
like a wild animal in cage, with
about as much chance of getting out.
The section of the country in which
was now wandering was very heavily
wooded and there was really no very
great difficulty in keeping myself con-
cealed, which I did all day long, striv-
ing all the time to think of some way
in which / could circumyent that
cursed barrier.
i ne luct VI d uuSG otSpiduuSi w
Cured to me, but 1 searched hour after
hour in vain for lumber or fallen trees
out of which / could construct one. If
l could only obtain something which
would enable me to reach point
about nine feet in the air it would be
a comparatively simple matter to
jump from that point over the electric
fence.
Then / thought that perhaps I could
construct simple ladder and lean it
against one of the posts upon which
the electric wires were strung, climb to
the top and then leap over, getting
over the barbed wire fences in the
same way.
This seemed to be the most likely
plan and all night long sat construct
ing a ladder for this purpose.
/ was fortunate enough to find
number of fallen pine trees from ten
to twenty feet long. l selected two of
them which seemed sufficiently strong
and broke off all the branches, which
l used as rungs, tying them to the
poles with grass and strips from my
handkerchief and shirt as best /
could.
1t was not very worlSmanlike
looking ladder when l finally got
through with it. 1 leaned it against
a tree to test it and it wobbled consid-
erably. 1t was more like rope lad
der than wooden one, but I strength
ened it here and there and decided
that 1t would probably serve the pur-
pose.
/ kept the ladder in the woods all
day and could hardly wait until dark
to make the supreme test. If 1t proved
successful my troubles were over
within a few hours l would be in a
neutral country out Of all danger. If
/ failed-I dismissed the idea sum-
marily. There was no use worrying
about failure; the thing to do was to
succeed.
The few hours that were to pass
before night came on seemed endless,
but / utilized them to REINFORCE my
ladder tyinp the runRs more securely