The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-09-13
CHAPTER x-Continued.


The knack Of making fire with two
pieces Of dry wood had often read
about, but had never put 1t to test
and for various reasons l concluded
that 1t would be unsafe for me to
build fire even IL had matches. In
the first place. there was no absolute
need for it. didn't have anything
to cook noyz1 nsils to cook 1t in even
# had. While the air was getting
to be rather cool at night, l was usu-
ally on the 60 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
Nelgian peasant would have been feas-
ible, but when was willing to take
the chance of approaching anyone, 1t
was just as easy to ask for food as
matches.
1t the second place. 1t would have
been extremely dangerous to have
built fire even If had needed 1t.
You can't build a fire in Belgium,
which IL the most thickly populated
country In Europe, without everyone
knowing It, and l was far from anx-
ious to advertising my whereabouts.
The villages In that part of Bel
GUM through which l was making my
course were 80 close together that
there was hardly ever an hour passed
without my hearing some clock strike.
Every village has its clock. Many
times 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 1 could from sunset to sunrise
and pay no attention to the hours in
between, and In the daytime had
only two things to worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep as
possible.
The cabbage that got In Belgium
consisted of the small heads that the
peasants had not 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.
It Is rather a remarkable thing that
today even smell of turnips, raw OF
cooked. makes me sick. and yet a few
short months ago my life depended
upon them.
Night after night as searched fol
food. l was always In hopes that
might come upon some tomatoes OF
: celery-vegetables which 1 really
liked, but with the exception Of once
when found some celery was never
20 fortunate. ate so much of the
celery the night l came upon 1t thai
x 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. kept my eyes open al
the time for fruit trees, but APPARENT.
1t was too late In the year for fruit, Al
all that l ever was able to find wer'
two pears, which got out of tree
That was one Of my red-letter days
but was never able to repeat it.
In the brooks and ponds that
passed often noticed fish of differen
kinds. That was either in the earl,
morning just before turned In TO
the day, or on moonlight nights whel
the water seemed as clear In spot
as in the daytime. 1t occurred to m
that 1t would be simple matter to ri
hook and line and catch some fish
but l had no means Of cooking then
and 1t was useless to fish for the SAX
Of 1t.
One night In Belgium my cours
took me through a desolate stretch o
country which seemed to be absolutel
uncultivated. l must have covere
twelve miles during the night, withou
passing single farm or cultivate
field. My stock Of turnips which
ad picked the night before was gon
and planned. OF course. to get enoug
to carry me through the followin
day.
The North Star was shining bright
that night and there was absolutel
nothing to prevent my steering an al
solutely direct course for Holland an
liberty, but my path seemed to II
through aid pastures. Far to tn