New Mexico state record., 1918-09-13
CHAPTER xI.
| Encounter German Soldiers.


What the Belgian told me about
the need of II passport gave me fresh
cause for worry. Suppose l should
run into German sentry before
succeeded in getting one?
decided thnt until ! reached the
big city which the Belgian had men
tioned-and which l cannot name for
fear of identifying some of the people
there who befriended me-I would
proceed with the utmcst precaution
and had obtained civilian clothes.
had not been quite as careful as l was
at first. While | had done my trav-
cling at night. ] had not gone into
hiding so early in the morning as
before and | had sometimes started
again before it was quite dark. rely
ing upon the fact that | would prob
ably be mistaken for II Belgian on his
way t. or from work, as the case
might be. From now on, | resolved,
chances.
That evening came to river per-
haps seventy-five yards wide and l
was getting ready to swim 1t when l
thought | would walk little way to
finc, If possible, n better place to get
To the river from the bank. had not
walked more than few hundred
yards when | saw a boat. 1t was the
fest time | had seen n boat in all my
experiences.
1t was firmly chained. but as the
stakes were sunk in the soft bank it
was not much of job to pull them
out. ! got in. drank to my hearts
content. showed over to the other side.
got out. drove a stake into the ground
and moored the boat. 1t would have
been simple matter to have drifted
down the river, but the river was not
shown on the map and | had no idea
where it might lead me. Very reluc-
family, therefore, | had to abandon
the boat and proceed on foot
made several miles that night and
before daylight found n safe place In
which to hide for the day. From my
hiding place | could see through the
bushes Il heavy thick wood only
short distance away. decided that
| would start earlier than usual, hurry
over to the wood and perhaps, in that
way, | could cover two or three miles
in the daytime and gain just so much
time. Travelling through the wood
would be comparatively safe. There
WIS a railroad going through the
wood, but | did not figure that that
would make it any the less safe.
About three O'Clock that afternoon,
therefore. emerged from my hiding
place and hurried into the wood.
After proceeding for half mile or
So | came to the railroad. ] took a
sharp look in both directions and see
ing no signs of trains or soldiers. l
walked boldly OVER the tracks and
continued on my way.
| soon came upon clearing and
knew that someone must be living in
the vicinity. AS turned group of
trees | saw small house and in the
distance an old man working i'm
garden. l decided to enter the house
and ask for food, figuring the woman
would probably be old and would be
no match for me even If she proved
hostile. The old woman who came
to the door in response to my knock
was older than I expected. If she
wasn't close to a hundred. l miss my
guess very much.
She could not speak English and
could not speak Flemish, of course,
but nevertheless 1 made her under
stand that wanted something to eat.
She came out of the door and hoI-
loed for her husband In a shrill voice
that would have done credit to a girl
of eighteen. The old man came In
from the garden and between the two
of them they managed to get the idea |
that I was hungry and they gave me
a piece Of bread-a very small piece
which was quite treat
The house taey lived In consisted of |
just two roomf- the kitchen and O
bedroom. The kitchen was perhaps
fourteen feet square. eight feet Of