Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-25
les. Instead beayv from bands were

employed. ! could hear them come
rumbling along the stone roads fol-
miles before they reached the spo
where I happened to be in hiding
When / saw these military roads il
Belgium for the first time, with theil
heavy cobblestones that looked as Il
they would last for centuries. l real
lied at once why it was that the Ger
mans had been able to make such 6
rapid advance into Belgium at the
start of the war.
l noticed that the Belgians used
dogs to a considerable extent to pull
their carts, and thought many times
that fl / could have stolen one OF
those dogs it would have been very
good companion for me and might, II
the occasion arose, help me out in q
fight. But had no way of feeding II
and the animal would probably have
starved to death. l could live on veg
etables, which I could always depend
upon finding in the fields, but a dog
couldn't, and so 1 gave up the idea.
The knack of making fire with two
pieces of dry wood 1 had often read
about, but had never put it to a test
and for various reasons I concluded
that 1t would be unsafe for me to
build fire even if had matches. In
the first place, there was no absolute
need for il. / didn't have anything
to cook nor utensils to cook it in even
if / had. While the air was getting
to be rather cool at night, was usu-
ally on the go at that time and didn't
notice it. In the daytime, when 1
was resting or sleeping, the sun was
usually out.
To have borrowed matches from a
belgian peasant would have been feas-
ible, but when l was willing to take
the chance of approaching anyone, it
was just as easy to ask for food as
matches.
1t the second place, it would have
been extremely dangerous to have
built a fire even if 1 had needed it.
You can't build a fire in Belgium,
which is the most thickly populated
country in Europe, without everyone
knowing it, and was far from anx-
pus to advertising my whereabouts.
The villages in that part of Bel
GUM through which was making my
course were so close together that
there was hardly ever an hour passed
without my hearing some clock strike.
Every village has its clock. Many
times 1 could hear the clocks striking
in two villages at the same time.
But the hour had very little interest
to me. My program was to travel as
fast as l could from sunset to sunrise
and pay no attention to the hours in
between, and in the daytime 1 had
only two things TO worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep as
possible.
The cabbage that 1 got in Belgium
consisted of the small heads that the
peasants had net cut. All the strength
had concentrated in these little heads
and they would be as bitter as gall. /
would have to be pretty hungry to-
day before I could ever eat cabbage
again and the same observation ap-
plies to carrots, turnips and sugar
beets-especially sugar beets.
1t is rather remarkable thing that
today even a smell of turnips, raw or
cooked, makes me sick, and yet few
short months ago my life depended
upon them.
Night after night as 1 searched for
food, I was always in hopes that
might come upon some tomatoes or
which 1 really
liked, but with the exception of once,
when found some celery, was never
SO fortunate. l ate so much of the
celery the night 1 came upon it that
1 was sick for two days thereafter,
but l carried several punches away
with me and used to chew on it as
walked along.
OF course, 1 kept my eyes open all
the time for fruit trees, but apparently
it was too late in the year for fruit, as
all that l ever was able to find were
two pears, which 1 got out of a tree.
That was one of my red-letter days,
but 1 was never able to repeat it.
In the brooks and ponds that !
passed l often noticed fish of different /
kinds. That was either in the early !
just before / turned in for
he day, or on moonlight nights when
he water seemed as clear in spots
rs in the daytime. 1t occurred to me
hat it would be a simple matter to rig
l hook and line and catch some fish,
tut l had no means of cooking them
md it was useless TO fish for the sake
# it.
One night in Belgium my course
ook me through a desolate stretch of
country which seemed to be absolutely
lncultivated. 1 must have covered
welve miles during the night, without
,assing a single farm or cultivated
ield. My stock of turnips which 1
lad picked the night before was gone
md l planned, of course, to get enough
o carry me through the following
lay.
The North Star was shining brightly
hat night and there was absolutely
.othing to prevent my steering an alb