The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-09-12
The Canon City Record, Thursday. September -, 1918

That night found more rivers. canals
and swamps than Lever found in my
life before. but had the good fortune
to stumble ON to some celery, and after
my diet of beets it surely was treat.
Perhaps it's unnecessary TO add that
took on good supply of celery and
for days went along chewing celery
like COW would cud.
Along towards morning. when sup
posed had gotten in a fairly good lap
of my journey-perhaps seven or eight
miles-I began To recognize certain OBJ
jects as familiar landmarks. At least.
/ thought had seen them before and
as I Travelled along knew positively /
had seen certain objects very recently.
on at my right-not over quarter OF
a mile-I noticed some fairl v good
sized woods and thought l would go
over there TO hide thar day, because it
looked as though the sun was going to
shine and l hoped to get my clothes
dry, and perhaps get a decent sleep.
/ had this celery and a large beet. so
i knew would be able to live the day
through.
Finally I. made my way over to the
woods. II was still too dark in among
the trees TO do much in the way of
selecting my quarters for the day and
/ could not go a step farther. So I
waited on the edge of the forest until
dawn and then set out to explore the
place, with view to finding some nook
where l might sleep. Imagine my dis
gust, and encouragement, too. when an
hour or so later came upon the exact
place where had spent the day before.
and realized that all night long ] had
been circling the very woods was try
Ing TO get away from. think perhaps
had gone ali of a quarter of mile in
the right direction, but then had lost
my bearings entirely. and daylight
found me with nothing accomplished.
The sun, however. did come out that
day. and ! welcomed Its warm rays.
as they. perhaps, have never been well
coined before. i was very tired-just
about all in-but l spent better day
In the woods than the previous one,
That night the stars came out 4.
located my friend. the North Star. and
tried To make up for lost time. But
when one is making only seven or eight
miles day. or rather night. one
night lost means whole lot. especl-
ally when each day keeps him from
freedom. Such Ill fortune and dis
couragsments MS this were harder to
endure, believe. than the actual
hunger. and the accompanying worry
naturally reduced my weight. At times
l was furiously angry with myself for
the mistakes I made and the foolish
things l did. but always tried to see
something funny about the situation.
whatever 1t might be, that relieved
the strain Of habit and helped to pass
the time away. I think IL q man Is
overburdened with n sense of humor
and wants to get rid Of IL. this trip
took would he an excellent remedy
for it. Right at this time I would
have welcomed anything for compan-
ion. i believe even snase would
have been Godsend to me-
WIN name M Irish as mine. 1t is
only natural that / looked for goats
along the way, thinking that i might
be able to milk them. There are very
few cows ia this country. and the OPP
portunities for milking them fewer
than the cows themselves because they
are housed In barns adjoining the
homes and always alertly watched by
their fortunate owners. / did hope
that / might find goat staked ont
some place in the fields. but in all my
travels / never saw a goat or a pig.
and only few cows. Several times i
bad Tor NUT snrpebnIy
always had beaten me to II, as i never
even found so much as q nest egg.
There was no chance OF getting away
with any Outlying stun in Luxem-
bourg. i knew, because the young men
have not been forced into the army
aud are still at home, and as they are
decidedly pro-German, II would have
been pretty hard for me TO demand
anything in that part Of the country.
1t WAS not like taking things nway
from old men and women or robbing
people that could not stop me II they
chose 10 do so. thought at this time
that was suffering about the worst
hardships amy human being could ever
be called upon to endure, but / was
later to find that the best Of my jour-
ney WIS made along about this time.
There were plenty OF vegetables. even
though they were raw. and these were
much better than the things / was
afterwards compelled to eat or go
without.
We frequently hear Of men who have
lived for certain number OF days on
their own resources in the woods just
on a bet or to prove that the back
to-nature" theory still has the merits
and will still work. Ny advice 70 some