The Pulaskian., 1918-10-11


 ting a share, but I did not know whether they were Germans or not, and l had gone through too much to risk my liberty even for food. I swallowed my hunger instead.
 Shortly afterwards it began to rain and about o'clock the men left, I crawled out as fast as I could and scurried around looking for crumbs. but found none, and when darkness came l went on my way once more.
 That night I came to a river and as it was the first time my clothes had been dry in long time, thought I would try to keep them that way as long as possible. I accordingly took off all my things and made them into two bundles, planning to carry one load across and then swim back for the other.
 The river was quite wide, but am 8 fairly good swimmer and I figured I could rest awhile after the first trip before going back for the second bundle.
 The first swim was uneventful. When landed on the other side I drank till my thirst was quenched and then swan back. After resting awhile I started across a third time, with my shoes and several other things firmly tied to my head. Just about ten feet from the opposite bank one of the shoes worked it's way loose and sank in about eight feet of water. There was nothing to do but finish the trip and then go back and dive for the missing shoe, as I could not go on with single shoe.
 Diving in my weakened condition was considerable strain, but I had to have that shoe and kept at it for nearly an hour before eventually found it, and I was pretty nearly all in by that time.
 That was the last time ever took my shoes off, for my feet were becom- ing so swollen that figured if I took my shoes off I might not be able to get them on again.
 
 diving for the lost shoe had consumed about three hours, and after resting some fifteen minutes I went on my way again. I had gone nearly a mile when 1 came to another river, about the same size as the one had just crossed. l walked along the bank awhile, think ing might be lucky enough to find a boat or bridge, but after walking about half an hour I received one of those disappoint1nents which "come once in lifetime." I found that this river was the one I had just swum I had swum it on the bend and was still on the wrong side Had I made only a short detour in the first place I would have avoided all the annoyance of the past three hours and saved my strength and time. I was never so mad in my life at myself as I was to think that had not paid more atten- ton to the course of the stream be- fore undertook to cross it, but as a matter of fact, there was really no way of telling. The river was not shown on the map at all.
 Now I had to cross it, whereas be- fore could have turned it. I walked boldly into the water, not bothering to take my clothes off this time, nor did I ever bother to take them off after wards when swimming canals and rivers. I found it was impossible to keep them dry anyway, and so might just as we'll swim in them and save time.
 All the next day I spent in forest, to which my nights travel had brought me about o'clock in the morning. I kept on my way through the woods until daylight came, and then, thinking the place would afford fairly good con- cealment, I concluded to rest untIl night.
 The prospects of even a good sleep were dismal, however, for about the time the suns face should have ap- peared, drizzling rain began and I gave up my search for dry spot which would serve me as bed. Some of the leaves were beginning to fall, but of course there was not enough of them to- form a covering for the ground, and the dampness seemed to have penetrated everywhere.
 I wandered around through the woods for two or three hours looking for shelter, but without any success. for, although the trees were large, the forest was not dense, and there was practically no brush or shrubbery. Consequently one could get fairly clear view for some distance, and I knew it would be unwise to drop off to sleep just any place, or someone would surely happen on to me. Once came very near to the ends of the woods and heard voices of men driving by in wagon, but couldn't make out just what they were, and instinct told me had better not come out of the woods, so I turned back. Here and there small artificial ditches had been dug, which at dry season