The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-10-11

could see the light of 4 sentry sta
ton and I thought l would go there
and tell my story to the sentries. real
izing that a. was unarmed 1t was
perfectly safe for me to announce
myself to the Dutch authorities. /
could be informed only II entered
Holland under arms.
AS i approached the sentry box l
noticed three pen In gray uniforms,
the regulation Dutch color. l was on
the verge OF shouting to them when
the thought struck mo that there was
Just a chance I might be mistaken,
as the German uniforms were the
same color, and l had suffered too
many privations and too many narrow
escapes to lose ell at this time by
jumping at conclusions.
had just turned of the road to go
back into some bushes when out of
the darkness l heard that dread Ger
man command:
"Halt Haiti"
He didn't need to boiler twice. l
heard and needed the first time. Then
heard another man come running up,
and there was considerable talking.
but whether they were Germans or
Hollanders I was still uncertain. He
evidently thought someone was on the
other side OF tho fence.
Finally l heard one Of them laugh
and saw him walk back to the sentry
| station where the guard was billeted,
and crawled little nearer to try to
make out just what 1t meant. I had
begun to think It was all night.
| mare.
Between myself and the light In the
sentry station, then noticed the
STOPPING figure Of a man bending ovel
as II to conceal himself and on his
head was the spiked helmet Of a Ger
man soldlerl
knew then what another narrow
escape I had had, for l am quite SURF
he would have shot me without cere
mony II I had foolishly made mysel
known. would have been buried a
once and no one would have been an,
wiser, even though, technically speak
| X,
mune from capture or attack.
This new shock only served to b
wilder me more. WAS completed
lost. There seemed to be frontier b.
hind me and frontier in front Of m
Evidently, however. what had ha
pened was that had lost my SEM
| Of direction and had wandered In Il
arc of a circle, returning to the san
fence that l had been SO long In sc
ting through. This solution Of tt
mystery came to me suddenly and I
once searched the landscape for som
thing In the way of landmark
guide me. For once my faithfl
friend, the North Star, had failed m
The sky was pitch black and thel
wasn't star In the heavens.
In the distance, at about what a.
peared to be about three miles ava
but which turned out to be six, l coul
discern the lights OF village, and
knew it must be Dutch village, I
lights are not allowed In Belgium
4 that indiscriminate way.
My course was now clear. / won
4 make Decline for that village. Befo
had gone very far found myself
@ marsh or swamp and l turned ba'
! little, hoping to find a better pat
Finding none, l retraced my ste
II and kept straight ahead, determine
to reach that village at all costs al
\ to swerve neither to the right or lie
/ until I got there.
One moment / would be In water !
to my knees and the next would sil
in mud clear up to my waist. pa
no attention to my condition. 1t W
| merely repetition of what I had go
= through many times before, but Il
reached 1t knew my troubles wor
be over.
1t took me perhaps three hours
u reach firm ground. The path stru
:, led to within half mile of the villal
- l shall never forget that path 1t "
: almost as welcome to my feet as t
u opposite bank OF the Meuse h
seemed
:. The first habitation came to was
little workshop with q bright Liz
shining outside. 1t must have be
after midnight, but the people insi
were apparently just quitting wo
There were three men and two be
engaged in making wooden shoess
= 1t wasn't necessary for me to
~ plain to them that l was refug
- even if l had been able to speak tn
"A language. l was caked with mud
al to my shoulders and suppose my fl
q must have recorded some of the
al periences / had gone through Il
memorable night.
.r Il want the British consul !" t.
% them.
ID Apparently they didn't understa
" but one of them volunteered to C
a duct me to the village. They seer
lg to be only too anxious to do all Il
ch could for me; evidently they reali,
was a British soldier.
re 1t was very late when my comp
/ lon finally escorted me into the
X lage, but he aroused some people
a knew from their beds and Il