Baxter Springs news., 1918-09-20

Later l heard some chlldren's voices
and again peering through the under
brush saw that they had brought the
men their lunch. You can't realize how
l felt y see them eating their lunch
so near at hand. and TO know that,
hungry as I was, / could have none OF
IL. I was getting tempted to 60 boldly
up to them and take chance OF get
ting a share, but did not. know
whether they were Germans or not, ana
I had gone through too much to risk
my liberty even for food. swallowed
my hunger instead.
Shortly afterwards It began to rain
and about 4 o'clock the men left, l
crawled out as fast as could ana
scurried around looking for crumbs
but found none, and when darkness
came went on my way once more.
That night I came to q river and as
Il was the first time my clothes had
been dry In u long time. thought l
would try TO keep them that way as
long as possible. ! accordingly took
of all my things and made them into
two bundles. planning to carry one
load across and then swim back Tor
the other.
The river was quite wide, but am 0
fairly good swimmer and ! figured !
could rest awhile after the first trip
before going back for the second
bundle.
The first swim was uneventful. When
I landed on the other side ! drank till
my thirst was Quenched and then
swan back. After resting awhile
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 Its way loose and sank
In about eight feet Of water. There
was nothing TO do but finish the trip
and then 20 back and dive for the
missing shoe, as / could not 60 Oh
with q single shoe.
Diving In my weakened condition
was considerable strain, but i had &c
huye that shoe and kept at It FOL
nearly an hour before I eventually
found It, and was pretty nearly al
In by that time.
That was the last time ] ever tool
my shoes of, for my feet were becom
ing so swollen that I figured II ! tool
my shoes of might not be able to ge'
them on again.
This stunt Of crossing the river ant
diving for the lost shoe had consumed
about three hours, and after resting
some fifteen minutes ! went on my way
again. had gone nearly mile wher
/ came to another river, about th'
same size as the one had just crossed
walked along the bank awhile. think
ing might be lucky enough to tind
boat or q bridge, but after walkin
about half an hour I received one
those disappolntments which com
once in q lifetime" found that thl
river was the one / had just swum!
had swum Ii on the bend and was Sill
on the wrong side. Had made only
short detour In the first place woul
have avoided all the annoyance Of tn
past three hours and saved m
strength and time. / was never s
mad In my life at myself as / was t
think that I had not paid more after
ton to the course Of the stream b'
fore undertook to cross 1t, but Us
matter Of fact, there was really n
way Of telling. The river was ne
shown on the map at all.
Now had to cross 1t, whereas b'
fore could have turned It. ] Wake
boldly into the water. not bothering
take my clothes off this time, nor di
I ever bother to take them of afte
wards when swimming canals an
rivers. found 1t was impossible
keep them dry anyway, and so migl
lust as well swim in them and say
time.
All the next day I spent in q fores
to which my nights travel had brOugl
me about 5 o'clock in the morning.
kept on my way through the wooC
until daylight came, and then, thinkir
the place would afford fairly good CO.
cealment, concluded to rest uni
night.
The prospects of even a good slet
, were dismal, however, for about u
time the suns face should have a
, peared, q drizzling rain began ana
, gave up my search for a dry sp
, which would serve me rs bed. Son
of the leaves were beginning to Ia
but of course there was not enough
y them to form a covering for u
GROUND, and the dampness seemed
q have penetrated everywhere.
2 wandered around through q
4 woods for two or three hours lookll
q for shelter, but without any succei
h for, although the trees were large I
a forest was not dense, and there W
z practically no brush or shrubDei
I Consequently one could get a fall
' clear view for some distance. and
knew 1t would be unwise to drop
D.: to sleep Just any place, or someo
i would surely happen on to me.
d Once / came very near to the en-
e of the woods and heard voices OF m
o driving by In a wagon, but / coulol
Il make out Just what they were, q